Date: 25 Jan 2012
Satellite: INTEGRAL
Depicts: Vela pulsar wind nebula and the hard X-ray sky
Copyright: All-sky image: ESA/INTEGRAL/IBIS/F. Lebrun/CEA, Saclay; Insert: ESA/INTEGRAL/IBIS-ISGRI/F. Mattana et al.

This image shows the entire sky as observed with ESA's INTEGRAL observatory at hard X-ray energies. It is based on observations performed with the IBIS imager on board INTEGRAL at energies between 18 and 40 keV.

The location of the Vela pulsar in the all-sky image is marked with a small square. The insert shows extended emission detected around the pulsar – the Vela pulsar wind nebula, a cloud of highly energetic electrons and positrons that are injected by the pulsar into its surroundings. The image of the Vela pulsar wind nebula shown in the insert shows the extended emission from this object after subtraction of the point-like source corresponding to the inner nebula.