NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory was launched into space on July 23, 1999 and since then, it has observed thousands of objects in space that include galaxies, clusters, star explosions, black holes, and many more. Chandra has been an important part of NASA's mission for studies on X-ray astronomy.
To celebrate the Chandra X-ray Observatory's 25th anniversary in space, NASA has released 25 new images from the Chandra X-ray observatory. Due to the penetrating property of X-rays, x-ray studies and observations are useful in studying extremely hot objects and high-energy physical processes in space.
Montage of 25 images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory – Image Credit: NASA
The Crab Nebula image shows the remnants of a bright supernova explosion and the core of the nebula has a pulsar that emits electromagnetic radiation – Credit: X-ray: (Chandra) NASA/CXC/SAO, (IXPE) NASA/MSFC; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, K. Arcand, and L. Frattare
Orion Nebula is one of the closest regions of star formation to Earth and the newly-formed stars in the Orion Nebula were detected by Chandra. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/M. Mccaughrean, S. Pearson; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand and J. Major
The Eyes Galaxies (NGC 4438 & 4435) contains a pair of merging galaxies in the Virgo Cluster and each resembles a white dot. The multimillion-degree gas emits X-rays that were detected by Chandra. – Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: ESO; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major
The Cat's Paw Nebula (NGC 6334) is a star forming area in the Milky Way galaxy with brick red clouds linked by small regions of purple – Credit: X-ray: NASA/SAO/CXC; Optical and H-alpha: ESO/MPG; Infrared: NASA/JPL-CalTech/Spitzer; Image Processing: J. Major
The Milky Way's Galactic Center has bright spots and some translucent swirls that resemble smoke trails. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/Q.D. Wang; Radio: NRF/SARAO/MeerKAT; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
M16 (Eagle Nebula) is a region of star formation called the Pillars of Creation. The cloudy grey columns are surrounded by dozens of soft, glowing, dots in whites, reds, blues, yellows, and purples which are young stars emitting X-ray and infrared light.Chandra detects X-rays from young stars in the region, including one embedded in a pillar – Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/SAO; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare
Bat Shadow (Serpens Cloud) – A young star with a planet forming disk is casting a shadow in the shape of a bat across a more distant cloud behind it. – Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major
NGC 7469, a spiral galaxy, that contains a growing supermassive black hole. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Xiamen Univ./X. Xu; Optical/Infrared: NASA/ESA/UVA, NRAO, SUNY at Stony Brook/A. S. Evans, Hubble Heritage–ESA/Hubble Collaboration; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/L. Armus, A. S. Evans; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major
Virgo Cluster (including M86) features approximately one dozen galaxies, set against a black backdrop dotted with tiny specks of light. Credit: X-ray: (Chandra) NASA/CXC/SAO; (XMM) ESA; H-alpha: NoirLab/NSF/KPNO; Optical: SDSS; CalTech/Palomar; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major and K. Arcand
WR 124 a rare type of Wolf-Rayet star, is a bright, massive star experiencing a short-lived phase in its evolution. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: (Herschel) ESA/NASA/Caltech, (Spitzer) NASA/JPL/Caltech, (WISE) NASA/JPL/Caltech; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Webb ERO Production Team; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major
Supernova Remnant G21.5-0.9 is the debris from an exploded star and shows a bright nebula in the center surrounded by a larger diffuse cloud of X-rays. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: NASA/JPL/CalTech/Spitzer; Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare
Centaurus A has a supermassive black hole at its center that sends enormous jets out into space, which are detected by Chandra. Credit: X-ray: (Chandra) NASA/CXC/SAO, (IXPE) NASA/MSFC; Optical: ESO; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand, J. Major, and J. Schmidt
The Cassiopeia A supernova remnant is an expanding ball of matter and energy ejected from an exploding star. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/D. Milisavljevic (Purdue Univ.), I. De Looze (UGent), T. Temim (Princeton Univ.); Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, K. Arcand, and J. Major
NGC 3532 (also called the “Wishing Well Cluster”) is a cluster of middle-aged stars about 300 million years old and resembles a black canvas stippled with thousands of drops of colorful paint, flicked from an artist’s brush. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: ESO; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major
The barred spiral galaxy NGC 6872 is interacting with a smaller galaxy to the upper left. The smaller galaxy has likely stripped gas from NGC 6872 to feed the supermassive black hole in its center. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, L. Frattare, and J. Major
Planetary nebula HB 5, is an end phase of a Sun-like star. At the heart of the nebula, or the knot of the bow tie, is a brilliant golden white explosion. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Radio: NSF/ESO/NRAO/ALMA; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand, J. Major
There are several clouds of superheated gas, seen by Chandra, that are merging in the Abell 2125 galaxy cluster. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NSF/NOIRLab/KPNO/F. Owen; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major, K. Arcand
NGC 3324 – Astronomers nicknamed this region of star formation the “Cosmic Cliffs,” and it features two star clusters, viewed through a churning tunnel of golden cloud. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Ludwig Maximilian Univ./T. Preibisch et al.; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
NGC 1365 – This spiral galaxy contains a supermassive black hole and stars rapidly forming in its center. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: ESO/VLT; Infrared: NASA/ESA/STScI/JWST/PHANGS; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare, J. Major
Pulsar wind nebulas like MSH 15-52 are clouds of energetic particles, producing X-rays, that are driven away from dead collapsed stars. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/JPL-Caltech/DECaPS; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt
Arp 220 observed by Chandra gives insight into what happens when two galaxies about the size of the Milky Way collide. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare, J. Major
The fifth planet from the Sun and largest in the Solar System and known to have X-ray-producing aurora around its poles. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major, S. Wolk
NGC 1850 is a bright, double star cluster that is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud, and is a small neighbor galaxy to the Milky Way. It contains a black hole with a mass of about 11 Suns, and a companion star. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/JPL/CalTech/Spitzer; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major, K. Arcand
Galaxy clusters like MACS J0035 are the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity. They contain huge amounts of hot gas that produce X-rays seen with X-ray telescopes like Chandra. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major
SN 1987A – This creation by a supernova explosion is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Chandra sees X-rays produced by debris from the explosion. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical/Infrared: NASA/ESA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major
The Chandra Telescope in orbit around Earth – Image Credit: NASA
