To celebrate its 25th anniversary, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has unveiled 25 stunning new images of various cosmic phenomena, revealing intricate details of celestial objects with its powerful X-ray vision.
The Crab Nebula is the aftermath of a supernova explosion observed by Chinese and other astronomers in 1054 A.D. Chandra's observations reveal rings around the pulsar and jets streaming into space. X-rays captured by Chandra (blue-violet and white) and IXPE (purple), combined with optical data from Hubble (red, green, and blue).
The Orion Nebula, one of the closest star-forming regions to Earth, is home to newly-formed stars detected by Chandra. X-rays from Chandra appear in magenta, while infrared images from Webb are in red, green, and blue.
The Cat’s Paw Nebula, located in the Milky Way galaxy, is an active star-forming region. Chandra's X-ray data reveals populations of young stars, shown in purple. Optical and H-alpha images from ESO/MPG (red, green, and blue), along with infrared data from Spitzer (red, green, and blue), provide a comprehensive view.
Famous for its Pillars of Creation, the Eagle Nebula is a prolific star-forming region first popularized by the Hubble Space Telescope. Chandra's X-ray observations highlight young stars within the nebula, including one nestled within a pillar. The X-rays from Chandra are depicted in red and blue, while the infrared image from Webb is in red, green, and blue.
NGC 7469 is a face-on spiral galaxy that hosts a growing supermassive black hole. Chandra's data reveals the presence of hot gas near the black hole. X-rays from Chandra are shown in purple, with optical and infrared imagery from Hubble in red, green, and blue, and additional infrared data from Webb also in red, green, and blue.
WR 124 is an uncommon Wolf-Rayet star, characterised by its bright, massive, and short-lived nature. The star's dense wind potentially obscures the detection of a neutron star companion by Chandra. The X-rays from Chandra are illustrated in purple, while infrared images from Herschel, Spitzer, and WISE appear in blue, and those from Webb are in red, green, and blue.
The Centaurus A galaxy harbors a supermassive black hole at its core, which emits vast jets detectable by Chandra. The X-rays from Chandra and IXPE are displayed in red, green, and blue, while optical imagery from ESO/MPG 2.2m is also in red, green, and blue.
The supernova remnant Cassiopeia A has been extensively observed for over 2 million seconds since Chandra's mission began in 1999. Chandra's X-rays are shown in blue, and infrared data from Webb is depicted in orange, white, and blue.
NGC 6872, a barred spiral galaxy, is interacting with a smaller galaxy positioned to its upper left. This interaction likely caused the smaller galaxy to strip gas from NGC 6872, fueling its central supermassive black hole. The X-rays from Chandra are in purple, and optical imagery from Hubble is in red, green, and blue.
Nicknamed the “Cosmic Cliffs,” this star-forming region is part of the nearby Carina Nebula. Chandra detects X-rays from young stars within two clusters. These X-rays are shown in purple, with infrared imagery from Webb in yellow, green, cyan, and blue.
Pulsar wind nebulas like MSH 15-52 consist of clouds of energetic particles emitting X-rays, driven away from collapsed stars. The X-rays from Chandra are illustrated in gold and blue, while infrared data from the Dark Energy Camera KPNO Blanco 4.0m is in red and blue.
Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, NGC 1850 is a bright double star cluster containing an 11-solar-mass black hole and a companion star. The lack of clear X-ray detection by Chandra suggests the black hole is not rapidly accreting material from its companion. The X-rays from Chandra are shown in magenta, optical imagery from Hubble in red, yellow, green, cyan, and blue, and infrared data from Spitzer in red.