1. Towards the Milky Way: DB00-58
QuicktimeMPEG This series of images shows the DB00-58 star cluster in context with Chandra's 900- by 400-light year mosaic of the Galactic Center. The view then transitions to infrared emission from a smaller region that includes DB00-58, before showing Chandra's X-ray close-up. Despite DB00-58's similar appearance to DB01-42 (#1, above), the X-ray and infrared information show that DB00-58 is, in fact, a foreground object, and is significantly closer to us than 26,000 light years.
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(X-ray: NASA/CXC/Northwestern U./C.Law & F.Yusef-Zadeh; Infrared: 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG This series of images shows the DB00-58 star cluster in context with Chandra's 900- by 400-light year mosaic of the Galactic Center. The view then transitions to infrared emission from a smaller region that includes DB00-58, before showing Chandra's X-ray close-up. Despite DB00-58's similar appearance to DB01-42 (#1, above), the X-ray and infrared information show that DB00-58 is, in fact, a foreground object, and is significantly closer to us than 26,000 light years.
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(X-ray: NASA/CXC/Northwestern U./C.Law & F.Yusef-Zadeh; Infrared: 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: DB00-6
2. DB01-42 in context of the Milky Way Center
QuicktimeMPEG This series of images puts the cluster known as DB01-42 in context with Chandra's 900- by 400-light year mosaic of the Galactic Center. The view then transitions to radio emission from a smaller region that includes DB01-42, before showing infrared data of the same area, and ending with Chandra's X-ray close-up. Chandra's X-ray data have helped astronomers identify DB01-42 as a member of the Galactic Center. It is about 26,000 light years away from Earth.
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(X-ray: NASA/CXC/Northwestern U./C.Law & F.Yusef-Zadeh; Infrared: 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/F.Zadeh et al.)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG This series of images puts the cluster known as DB01-42 in context with Chandra's 900- by 400-light year mosaic of the Galactic Center. The view then transitions to radio emission from a smaller region that includes DB01-42, before showing infrared data of the same area, and ending with Chandra's X-ray close-up. Chandra's X-ray data have helped astronomers identify DB01-42 as a member of the Galactic Center. It is about 26,000 light years away from Earth.
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(X-ray: NASA/CXC/Northwestern U./C.Law & F.Yusef-Zadeh; Infrared: 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/F.Zadeh et al.)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: DB00-6
3. Virtual Voyage through the Milky Way: Whole Journey
QuicktimeMPEG
Zoom out past Earth, Venus, Mercury & the Sun. Go beyond the solar system, and out of the Milky Way to our Local Group. Then, zoom back in from the Local Group to the Galactic Center & view the Chandra mosaic of the central region of our Galaxy.
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View Stills
(NASA/CXC/A.Hobart)
QuicktimeMPEG
Zoom out past Earth, Venus, Mercury & the Sun. Go beyond the solar system, and out of the Milky Way to our Local Group. Then, zoom back in from the Local Group to the Galactic Center & view the Chandra mosaic of the central region of our Galaxy.
[Runtime: 1:12]
View Stills
(NASA/CXC/A.Hobart)
4. Virtual Voyage through the Milky Way: Local Group to Galactic Center
QuicktimeMPEG Zoom in from the Local Group to the Galactic Center & view the Chandra mosaic of the central region of our Galaxy.
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View Stills
(NASA/CXC/A.Hobart)
QuicktimeMPEG Zoom in from the Local Group to the Galactic Center & view the Chandra mosaic of the central region of our Galaxy.
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View Stills
(NASA/CXC/A.Hobart)
5. Virtual Voyage through the Milky Way: Earth to Local Group
QuicktimeMPEG Zoom out past Earth, Venus, Mercury & the Sun. Go beyond the solar system, and out of the Milky Way to our Local Group.
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(NASA/CXC/A.Hobart)
QuicktimeMPEG Zoom out past Earth, Venus, Mercury & the Sun. Go beyond the solar system, and out of the Milky Way to our Local Group.
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(NASA/CXC/A.Hobart)
6. Chandra's Many Views of the Center of the Milky Way
QuicktimeMPEG This sequence shows how astronomers are using Chandra to help probe the mysterious region at the center of the Milky Way. The first image is a 900- by 400-light-year mosaic in X-rays taken by Chandra. The view then zooms into a smaller region that encompasses the latest Chandra discovery of puzzling, extremely hot and diffuse emission. From there, the sequence shows two even smaller fields of view of the region surrounding the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, known as Sgr A*. The final element is an artist's conception of Sgr A* itself and its accretion disk as it undergoes a flare.
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(NASA/CXC)
Related Chandra Images:
QuicktimeMPEG This sequence shows how astronomers are using Chandra to help probe the mysterious region at the center of the Milky Way. The first image is a 900- by 400-light-year mosaic in X-rays taken by Chandra. The view then zooms into a smaller region that encompasses the latest Chandra discovery of puzzling, extremely hot and diffuse emission. From there, the sequence shows two even smaller fields of view of the region surrounding the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, known as Sgr A*. The final element is an artist's conception of Sgr A* itself and its accretion disk as it undergoes a flare.
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(NASA/CXC)
Related Chandra Images:
- Photo Album: Hot Gas in Galactic Center
7. 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
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.
[Runtime: 1:02]
(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. 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
10. 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
Revised: December 08, 2011