Chandra Release - January 25, 2005

Visual Description: UGC 6697 in Abell 1367

The image of the starburst galaxy UGC 6697 is a composite of both X-ray and optical data.  The image shows the galaxy from the side and so it has an elongated shape, resembling a long, bright, slender tube.   The colors in the image are predominantly blue, with some red and a hint of green.   The texture of the image appears somewhat grainy.    The galaxy UGC 6697 is located about 1.5 million light years from the core of the galaxy cluster Abell 1367. The Chandra image (blue) reveals a sharp edge on the lower left that is inside the optical edge of the galaxy, and a long tail of X-radiation extending to the upper right beyond the optical galaxy (red and green). These features suggest that the density of the hot gas that pervades the cluster is just right - not too high or not too low - to trigger a burst of star formation by compressing clouds of cool gas in the galaxy.