Revealing the Obscured Supernova Remnant Kes 32 with Chandra

I report here on the analysis and interpretation of a Chandra observation of the supernova remnant Kes 32. Kes 32 is rather weak in X-rays due to a large interstellar absorption, which is found to be ∼ 4 × 10 cm, larger than previously reported. Spectral analysis indicates that the ionization age of this object is very young, with net ∼ 4×10 9 cms, and a temperature of kTe ∼ 1 keV. The X-ray emission peaks at a smaller radius than in the radio. The low ionization age suggests that Kes 32 is a young remnant. However, a young age is in contradiction with the relatively large apparent size, which indicates an age of several thousand years, instead of a few hundred years. This problem is discussed in connection with Kes 32’s unknown distance and its possible association with the Norma galactic arm. Subject headings: X-rays: observations individual (Kes 32) – supernova remnants