Galactic Center Radio Arc:
X-ray Gas Associated With Cold Gas Cloud and Galactic Center Radio Arc
Credit: X-ray (blue):
NASA/CXC/Northwestern
/F.Zadeh et al.; Millimeter Wavelength
(green):
Nobeyama/M.Tsuboi; Radio (red):
NRAO/AUI/NSF/F.Zadeh et al.
JPEG
(156 k) , Tiff (2.3
MB), PS (15.6
MB)
|
Chandra observations of a region of the Galactic Center have found an X-ray filament and cloud about 40 light years across (blue). These X-ray features are associated with a huge cloud of cold gas (dark area in inset box) that is adjacent to large filamentary and shell-like structures that are bright sources of radio waves (red).
The X-ray emission is thought to be produced when energetic electrons from the radio filaments collide with the cold gas cloud, which has a mass one million times the mass of the Sun. This process of the bombardment of cold gas clouds with energetic electrons could explain the origin of the mysterious X-ray ridge along the plane of the galaxy that was discovered nearly 30 years ago.
| Fast Facts for Galactic
Center Radio Arc: |
| Credit |
X-ray (blue): NASA/CXC/Northwestern/F.Zadeh
et al.; Millimeter Wavelength (green): Nobeyama/M.Tsuboi;
Radio (red): NRAO/AUI/NSF/F.Zadeh et al. |
| Scale
|
X-ray/Molecular image is 8
by 7 arcmin. Radio image is 30 arcmin on a side. |
| Category |
Normal
Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies
Surveys |
| Coordinates
(J2000) |
RA 17h 46m 20s | Dec -28º
52' 00.01" |
| Constellation
|
Sagittarius |
| Observation
Date |
July 7, 2000 |
| Observation
Time |
13.7 hours |
| Obs. ID
|
945 |
| Color Code
|
Intensity |
| Instrument
|
ACIS |
| Distance Estimate
|
About 26,000 light years |
|
Release Date
|
January 09, 2002
|
|
|
