The Jellyfish Nebula (aka IC 443,) is the remnant of a supernova about 5,000 light years from Earth. Chandra X-ray Telescope observations show that the explosion that created the Jellyfish Nebula may have also formed a rapidly spinning neutron star, or pulsar.
When a massive star runs out of thermonuclear fuel, it implodes and forms a dense stellar core called a neutron star. The outer layers of the star collapse into the neutron star then bounce outward in a supernova explosion. A spinning neutron star that produces a beam of radiation is called a pulsar. As the radiation sweeps around like light from a lighthouse, it can be detected as pulses of radio waves and other types of radiation.
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Image Credit: NASA
The Jellyfish Nebula (aka IC443)) is a supernova remnant in the constellation Gemini. It’s roughly 5,000 light years from Earth. IC 443 may be the remains of a supernova that occurred between 3,000 to 30,000 years ago. The same supernova event probably created a neutron star known as CXOU J061705.3+222127.