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NGC 4631
Chandra Detects Halo Of Hot Gas Around Milky Way-Like Galaxy
This image shows central region of
the spiral galaxy NGC 4631 as seen edge-on from
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space
Telescope. The Chandra data (shown in blue and
purple) provide the first unambiguous evidence for a
halo of hot gas surrounding a galaxy that is very
similar to our Milky Way. The structure across the
middle of the image and the extended faint filaments
(shown in orange) represent the observation from Hubble
that reveals giant bursting bubbles created by clusters
of massive stars. Scientists have debated for over 40
years whether the Milky Way has an extended corona, or
halo, of hot gas. Observations of NGC 4631 and similar
galaxies provide astronomers with an important tool in
the understanding our own galactic environment.
A team of astronomers, led by Daniel Wang of the University of Massachusetts
at Amherst, observed NGC 4631 with Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging
Spectrometer (ACIS) instrument. The observation took place on April
15, 2000, and its duration was approximately 60,000 seconds.
| Fast Facts for NGC 4631: |
| Credit |
X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/D.Wang et al., Optical: NASA/HST/D.Wang et al. |
| Scale |
Image is 2.5 arcmin across (left to right). |
| Category |
Normal Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies |
| Coordinates (J2000) |
RA 12h 42m 07.30s | Dec +32° 32' 30" |
| Constellation |
Canes Venatici |
| Observation Dates |
April 15, 2000
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| Observation Time |
17 hours |
| Obs. IDs |
797
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| Color Code |
Intensity |
| Instrument |
ACIS |
| Distance Estimate |
About 25 million light years |
| Release Date |
July 19, 2001 |
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