Chandra Release - July 27, 2016

Visual Description: GJ 3253

An inset X-ray image and an illustration of a red dwarf star, GJ 3253, is presented. The illustrated star appears in the center of the image, colored in bright red-orange and with a chunk cut out of the upper left to show the inner workings.  The Chandra X-ray Observatory image is a small purple dot inset in the lower right.  GJ 3253 is a red dwarf star, which is a type of star that is smaller and cooler than our Sun. The Sun and stars with approximately the same mass have a divided internal structure with an inner radiation zone (energy moves outward) and an outer convection zone (the energy circulates). Stars with significantly lower masses, however, do not have such a differentiated structure. Instead, the process of convection is dominant throughout the star, which is depicted in the artist's illustration in the cut out of the main panel of the graphic.