1. Tour of Galactic Center
QuicktimeMPEG This image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals a wealth of exotic objects and high-energy features at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. In this new and deep image from Chandra, red represents lower-energy X-rays, green shows the medium range, and blue indicates the higher-energy X-rays Chandra can detect. The hundreds of small dots show emission from material around black holes and other dense stellar objects like neutron stars. A supermassive black hole -- some four million times more massive than the Sun -- resides within the bright region to the right of center. The diffuse X-ray light comes from gas heated to millions of degrees by outflows from the supermassive black hole, winds from giant stars, and stellar explosions.
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(Credit: NASA/CXC/UMass/D. Wang et al.)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG This image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals a wealth of exotic objects and high-energy features at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. In this new and deep image from Chandra, red represents lower-energy X-rays, green shows the medium range, and blue indicates the higher-energy X-rays Chandra can detect. The hundreds of small dots show emission from material around black holes and other dense stellar objects like neutron stars. A supermassive black hole -- some four million times more massive than the Sun -- resides within the bright region to the right of center. The diffuse X-ray light comes from gas heated to millions of degrees by outflows from the supermassive black hole, winds from giant stars, and stellar explosions.
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(Credit: NASA/CXC/UMass/D. Wang et al.)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: Galactic Center
2. Tour of Galactic Ridge
QuicktimeMPEG This sequence begins with an infrared view from the Spitzer Space Telescope of the central region of the Milky Way. We then zoom into a region about 1.4 degrees away from the center of the galaxy where the Chandra X-ray Observatory focused its attention for about twelve days' worth of time. This region is known as the Galactic Ridge, because earlier X-ray observatories found a structure of diffuse emission stretching across the plane of the galaxy. The new long Chandra observation shows that this X-ray haze is actually composed of thousands of individual sources, like stars and binary systems.
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(X-ray (NASA/CXC/TUM/M.Revnivtsev et al.); IR (NASA/JPL-Caltech/GLIMPSE Team))
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG This sequence begins with an infrared view from the Spitzer Space Telescope of the central region of the Milky Way. We then zoom into a region about 1.4 degrees away from the center of the galaxy where the Chandra X-ray Observatory focused its attention for about twelve days' worth of time. This region is known as the Galactic Ridge, because earlier X-ray observatories found a structure of diffuse emission stretching across the plane of the galaxy. The new long Chandra observation shows that this X-ray haze is actually composed of thousands of individual sources, like stars and binary systems.
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(X-ray (NASA/CXC/TUM/M.Revnivtsev et al.); IR (NASA/JPL-Caltech/GLIMPSE Team))
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: Galactic X-ray Ridge
3. Tour of Multiwavelength Galactic Center
QuicktimeMPEG This never-before-seen view of the turbulent heart of our Milky Way combines a near-infrared view from Hubble, an infrared image from Spitzer, and X-ray data from Chandra. The composite image features the spectacle of galactic evolution: from vibrant regions of star birth to young and old stellar populations and even to the eerie remains of stellar death called black holes. All of this occurs against a fiery backdrop in the crowded, hostile environment of the galaxy's core, the center of which is ruled by a supermassive black hole. A diffuse haze of X-ray light from hot gas permeates the entire field. This gas has been heated to millions of degrees by outflows from the supermassive black hole as well as by winds from massive stars and stellar explosions.
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(X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/D. Wang et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI/D.Wang et al.; IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSC/S.Stolovy)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG This never-before-seen view of the turbulent heart of our Milky Way combines a near-infrared view from Hubble, an infrared image from Spitzer, and X-ray data from Chandra. The composite image features the spectacle of galactic evolution: from vibrant regions of star birth to young and old stellar populations and even to the eerie remains of stellar death called black holes. All of this occurs against a fiery backdrop in the crowded, hostile environment of the galaxy's core, the center of which is ruled by a supermassive black hole. A diffuse haze of X-ray light from hot gas permeates the entire field. This gas has been heated to millions of degrees by outflows from the supermassive black hole as well as by winds from massive stars and stellar explosions.
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(X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/D. Wang et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI/D.Wang et al.; IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSC/S.Stolovy)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: Galactic Center
4. Images of Light Echo at Galactic Center
QuicktimeMPEG This sequence shows the location of the light echo at the Galactic Center by placing it in context with other Chandra observations of the region. The light echo is produced when X-rays from the Milky Way's giant black hole bounce off surrounding gas clouds. The light echo is found approximately 50 light years away from Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A*, for short), the supermassive black hole in the Galactic Center.
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(NASA/CXC)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG This sequence shows the location of the light echo at the Galactic Center by placing it in context with other Chandra observations of the region. The light echo is produced when X-rays from the Milky Way's giant black hole bounce off surrounding gas clouds. The light echo is found approximately 50 light years away from Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A*, for short), the supermassive black hole in the Galactic Center.
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(NASA/CXC)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: Light Echo at Galactic Center
5. Variability in Chandra Images of Light Echo
QuicktimeMPEG The first image shows Chandra data of the middle of the Milky Way, with the position of Sgr A* labeled. The view then shows how the X-ray emission in the gas clouds change in shape and brightness between the three different observations in 2002, 2004 and 2005. This behavior agrees with theoretical predictions for a light echo produced by Sgr A* and helps rule out other interpretations.
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(NASA/CXC/Caltech/M.Muno et al.)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG The first image shows Chandra data of the middle of the Milky Way, with the position of Sgr A* labeled. The view then shows how the X-ray emission in the gas clouds change in shape and brightness between the three different observations in 2002, 2004 and 2005. This behavior agrees with theoretical predictions for a light echo produced by Sgr A* and helps rule out other interpretations.
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(NASA/CXC/Caltech/M.Muno et al.)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: Light Echo at Galactic Center
6. Animation of Stars Forming Around Black Hole
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This animation shows a disk of red and yellow gas around a supermassive black hole. As the view pulls back, the formation of stars in the outer regions of the disk is seen. These massive stars form when the gas becomes unstable, despite the black hole's enormous gravitational influence, and collapses inwards.
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View Stills
(NASA/CXC/A.Hobart)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG
This animation shows a disk of red and yellow gas around a supermassive black hole. As the view pulls back, the formation of stars in the outer regions of the disk is seen. These massive stars form when the gas becomes unstable, despite the black hole's enormous gravitational influence, and collapses inwards.
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View Stills
(NASA/CXC/A.Hobart)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: Sagittarius A*
7. Scenario Dismissed by Chandra Results
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This sequence of artist's renderings shows the scenario ruled out by the latest Chandra results. In this model, a cluster with both low (red) and high (blue) mass stars is drawn toward the black hole. Eventually, the strong gravitational forces would rip the cluster apart, sending its constituent stars into orbit around the black hole.
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(Illustrations: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG
This sequence of artist's renderings shows the scenario ruled out by the latest Chandra results. In this model, a cluster with both low (red) and high (blue) mass stars is drawn toward the black hole. Eventually, the strong gravitational forces would rip the cluster apart, sending its constituent stars into orbit around the black hole.
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View Stills
(Illustrations: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: Sagittarius A*
8. Sequence Showing Evidence of Black Hole Swarm in Context
QuicktimeMPEG The first image in this sequence is Chandra's 900- by 400-light year mosaic of the Milky Way's center. Next, the view zooms into a smaller region where Chandra has found some 2,000 individual X-ray sources. Finally, Chandra's view of the area immediately surrounding Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, is shown. As part of a long-term monitoring program, Chandra found several variable X-ray sources. This variability suggests these sources are in systems containing their own stellar-sized black holes.
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(Galactic Center Mosaic: NASA/UMass/D.Wang et al.; Sagittarius A*: NASA/CXC/MIT/F.K.Baganoff et al.; Galactic Center X-ray Binaries: NASA/CXC/UCLA/M.Muno et al.)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG The first image in this sequence is Chandra's 900- by 400-light year mosaic of the Milky Way's center. Next, the view zooms into a smaller region where Chandra has found some 2,000 individual X-ray sources. Finally, Chandra's view of the area immediately surrounding Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, is shown. As part of a long-term monitoring program, Chandra found several variable X-ray sources. This variability suggests these sources are in systems containing their own stellar-sized black holes.
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(Galactic Center Mosaic: NASA/UMass/D.Wang et al.; Sagittarius A*: NASA/CXC/MIT/F.K.Baganoff et al.; Galactic Center X-ray Binaries: NASA/CXC/UCLA/M.Muno et al.)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: Galactic Center X-ray Binaries
9. Time-lapse Movie of Galactic Center X-ray Binaries
QuicktimeMPEG This sequence of 5 images is part of an ongoing Chandra program that monitors a region around the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, Sgr A*. Four bright, variable X-ray sources were discovered within 3 light years of Sgr A*. The variability is indicative of an X-ray binary system where a black hole or neutron star is pulling matter from a nearby companion star. Such a high concentration of X-ray binaries in this region is strong circumstantial evidence that a dense swarm of 10,000 or more stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars has formed around Sgr A*. The swarm likely formed as stellar-mass black holes, and to a lesser extent, neutron stars, gradually sank toward the center of the Galaxy over the course of several billion years.
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(NASA/CXC/UCLA/M.Muno et al.)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG This sequence of 5 images is part of an ongoing Chandra program that monitors a region around the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, Sgr A*. Four bright, variable X-ray sources were discovered within 3 light years of Sgr A*. The variability is indicative of an X-ray binary system where a black hole or neutron star is pulling matter from a nearby companion star. Such a high concentration of X-ray binaries in this region is strong circumstantial evidence that a dense swarm of 10,000 or more stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars has formed around Sgr A*. The swarm likely formed as stellar-mass black holes, and to a lesser extent, neutron stars, gradually sank toward the center of the Galaxy over the course of several billion years.
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(NASA/CXC/UCLA/M.Muno et al.)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: Galactic Center X-ray Binaries
10. Black Hole Animation
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This animation illustrates the activity surrounding a black hole. While the matter that has passed the black hole's "event horizon" can't be seen, material swirling outside this threshold is accelerated to millions of degrees and radiates in X-rays. At the end of the animation, the black hole is shown shrouded in a cloud of gas and dust, obscuring it from most angles at wavelengths other than the X-rays picked up by the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
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View Stills
(NASA/CXC/A.Hobart)
QuicktimeMPEG
This animation illustrates the activity surrounding a black hole. While the matter that has passed the black hole's "event horizon" can't be seen, material swirling outside this threshold is accelerated to millions of degrees and radiates in X-rays. At the end of the animation, the black hole is shown shrouded in a cloud of gas and dust, obscuring it from most angles at wavelengths other than the X-rays picked up by the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
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View Stills
(NASA/CXC/A.Hobart)
Revised: October 23, 2008