X Rays From Antennae Galaxies
Explanation:
A
bevy of
black holes and
neutron stars
shine as bright, point-like
sources against
bubbles of
million degree gas in this
false-color
x-ray image from the
orbiting
Chandra Observatory.
The striking picture spans about 80 thousand light-years across the
central regions of two
galaxies, NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, locked in a titanic collision
some 60 million light-years away in the
constellation Corvus.
In
visible light images, long, luminous,
tendril-like structures emanating
from the wreckage lend the pair their
popular moniker,
the Antennae Galaxies.
Galactic collisions are now thought to be
fairly common, but when
they happen individual stars rarely collide.
Instead gas and dust clouds merge and compress, triggering furious
bursts of
massive star formation with
thousands of resulting supernovae.
The exploding stars litter the scene with bubbles of shocked gas
enriched
in heavy elements, and collapsed stellar cores.
Transfixed by this
cosmic accident
astronomers watch and are beginning
to appreciate the
collision-driven evolution
of galaxies, not unlike our own.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
