IC 443 THE JELLYFISH NEBULA

C 443 is a supernova remnant located in the constellation Gemini. It is believed to have originated from a supernova that exploded sometime between 3000 and 30,000 years ago, and that the core of the progenitor star responsible for this event formed the neutron star CXOU J061705.3+222127. It is a highly studied object because of its interaction with other molecular clouds. IC 443 has an angular diameter of 50 arcminutes, which at a distance of 5,000 light-years is equivalent to a real size of about 70 light-years.

The nebula, both in visible and radio waves, has a shell shape, consisting of two halves with different radius and center; a third nebulous shell, initially attributed to IC 443, is now recognized as a supernova remnant, perhaps 100,000 years old, called G189.6+3.3. The age of the object remains uncertain; There is some agreement that the event that created the nebula occurred between 3000 and 30,000 years ago. Through observations conducted with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and XMM-Newton, the pulsar near the southern ring was identified.