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Quintuplet Cluster:
Colliding High-Speed Winds Light Up the Quintuplet Cluster

Quintuplet Cluster Illustration Credit: NASA/CXC/Northwestern U./C.Law & F.Yusef-Zadeh
JPEG (62 kb), Tiff (16.8 MB), PS (3.5 MB)
This Chandra image presents the first detection of X-rays from stars in the Quintuplet Cluster, an extremely dense young star cluster near the Galactic Center. Because dust blocks visible light from the Galactic Center, the cluster was not discovered until 1990 when it was detected with an infrared telescope. Named for its five brightest stars at infrared wavelengths, the Quintuplet is known to be home to hundreds of stars. Several of these are very massive stars that are rapidly losing gas from their surfaces in high-speed stellar winds.

Quintuplet Cluster Animation
Animation of Quintuplet Cluster
The bright point-like concentrations of 50 million degree Celsius gas in Chandra's image are thought to be caused by collisions between the high-speed winds in massive stars that have closely orbiting partners. Colliding stellar winds could also explain the diffuse X-radiation seen between the stars in the Quintuplet. The detection of radio waves from hot gas in this region provides further evidence for vigorous heating of gas by winds from massive stars.

Fast Facts for Quintuplet Cluster:
Credit  NASA/CXC/Northwestern U./C.Law & F.Yusef-Zadeh
Scale  Image is 0.6 arcmin per side
Categories  Normal Stars & Star Clusters
Milky Way
Coordinates (J2000)  RA 17h 46m 14.80s | Dec -28º 49' 49.35"
Constellation  Sagittarius
Observation Dates  July 07, 2000;
July 18-19, 2001
Observation Time  19.7 hours
Obs. IDs  945, 2273, 2276
Color Code  Intensity
Instrument  ACIS
Distance Estimate  26,000 light years
Reference  C. Law & F. Yusef-Zadeh, 2004, astro-ph/0404544 (to appear in Astrophys. J.).
Release Date  July 28, 2004

More Information on Quintuplet Cluster:
More Images of Quintuplet Cluster
Quintuplet Cluster Animations
Quintuplet Cluster Handout: html | pdf
Powerpoint and PDF
Related Chandra Images:
Photo Album: The Arches Cluster (06 Jun 01)
Photo Album: Galactic Center Radio Arc (09 Jan 02)
Photo Album: X-Ray Mosaic Of Galactic Center (09 Jan 02)
More Information on Normal Stars & Star Clusters:
X-ray Astronomy Field Guide: Normal Stars
Questions and Answers: Normal Stars & Star Clusters
Chandra Images: Normal Stars & Star Clusters
More Information on the Milky Way:
X-ray Astronomy Field Guide: The Milky Way
Chandra Chronicles: Chandra Explores "Downtown" In The Milky Way
Questions and Answers: Milky Way Galaxy
Chandra Images: The Milky Way


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