Gas from the healthy star transfers onto the compact object. Line Resolved Images of Tycho SNR Neutron Stars and Supernova Remnants Neutron stars and black holes form from supernovae . Yet, before ASCA, very few neutron stars were known inside supernova remnants. ASCA identified several neutron stars, such as RCW 103 and Kes 73. Another big hit for ASCA was the discovery of cosmic rays shooting away from supernova 1006.
Cosmic rays are atomic particles that whip through space at nearly light speed.
Many astronomers suspected that these particles are accelerated to such speeds by star explosions, such as SN 1006, which Chinese astronomers actually recorded in the year 1006. ASCA provided the first observational evidence of cosmic ray acceleration. Stars go out with a bang, with explosions that glow in X rays. ASCA was even sensitive enough to study stellar coronae , the thin, hot atmosphere surrounding most stars, including our own. Astronomers studied the abundances of elements such as iron, silicon and sulfur in unprecedented detail.