Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory may have discovered a new supernova remnant near the center of the Milky Way, close to the supermassive black hole.

The suspected remnant appears as a bright “blob” of X-ray emission about 26,000 light-years from Earth within a dense, active region filled with gas, magnetic fields, and young stars.

If confirmed, it would be one of the closest known supernova remnants to the Galactic Center and could be around 1,700 years old, expanding at about 3.2 million km/h.

The object is thought to be the debris of an exploded star, which spreads elements like iron and oxygen that help form new stars and planets, Phys.org has reported.

While alternative explanations exist, its brightness and structure make a supernova origin the most likely explanation so far.