Chandra Release - September 23, 2004

Visual Description: Mouse or G359.23-0.82

The composite X-ray (gold) and radio image (blue) of the pulsar wind nebula, also known as the Mouse or G359.23-0.82 contains several distinct visual components. The Mouse gets its name from its appearance in radio images that show a compact snout, a bulbous body, and a remarkable long, narrow, tail that extends for about 55 light years.   The image on the upper left shows a close-up of the head of the Mouse where a shock wave has formed as the young pulsar plows supersonically through interstellar space.  The X-ray cloud consists of high-energy particles swept back by the pulsar's interaction with the interstellar gas. Near the front of the cloud an intense X-ray source marks the location of the pulsar, estimated to be moving through space at about 1.3 million miles per hour. A cone-shaped cloud of less energetic, radio-wave-emitting particles envelopes the X-ray cloud.   In the lower right corner of the image is a close up of just the X-ray data. It is a large, elongated structure that resembles a textured worm.  As the pulsar moves through the interstellar medium, it creates a bow shock, which is a region of compressed gas and dust that marks the boundary between the pulsar wind nebula and the surrounding material.