Composite image of supernova remnant RCW 86 (photo)

This image combines data from four different space telescopes – Chandra, XMM-Newton, Spitzer and WISE – to create a multi-wavelength view of all that remains of the oldest documented example of a supernova, called RCW 86. The Chinese witnessed the event in 185 A.D., documenting a mysterious "guest star" that remained in the sky for eight months. The X-rays (blue and green) show the interstellar gas that has been heated to millions of degrees by the passage of the shock wave from the supernova. Meanwhile, infrared data (red and yellow) reveal dust radiating at a temperature several hundred degrees below zero