Quick facts
What it is: RCW 86, a supernova remnant
Where it is: 8,000 light-years away, in the constellation Circinus
When it was shared: March 24, 2026
NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer observed the outer rim of the supernova remnant highlighted in purple in the inset.
(Image credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, XMM: ESA/XMM-NEWTON, IXPE: NASA/MSFC; Optical: NSF/NOIRLab; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt)
Jamie Carter is a Cardiff, U.K.-based freelance science journalist and a regular contributor to Live Science. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners and co-author of The Eclipse Effect, and leads international stargazing and eclipse-chasing tours. His work appears regularly in Space.com, Forbes, New Scientist, BBC Sky at Night, Sky & Telescope, and other major science and astronomy publications. He is also the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com.
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