X-Ray Mosaic Of Galactic Center: Chandra Takes In The Bright
Lights, Big City Of The Milky Way
This 400 by 900 light-year mosaic
of several Chandra images of the central region of our Milky Way
galaxy reveals hundreds of white dwarf stars, neutron stars, and
black holes bathed in an incandescent fog of multimillion-degree
gas. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Galaxy
is located inside the bright white patch in the center of the image.
The colors indicate X-ray energy bands - red (low), green (medium),
and blue (high).
The mosaic gives a new perspective on how
the turbulent Galactic Center region affects the evolution of the
Galaxy as a whole. This hot gas appears to be escaping from the
center into the rest of the Galaxy. The outflow of gas, chemically
enriched from the frequent destruction of stars, will distribute
these elements into the galactic suburbs. Because it is only about
25,000 light years from Earth, the center of our Galaxy provides an
excellent laboratory to learn about the cores of other
galaxies.
Fast Facts for Galactic
Center (Survey): |
Credit |
NASA/UMass/D.Wang et al.
|
Scale |
Image is 120 by 48 arcmin
|
Category |
Normal
Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies Surveys
|
Coordinates
(J2000) |
RA 17h 45m 23s | Dec -29º 01'
17" |
Constellation |
Sagittarius
|
Observation
Date |
July 2001 (30 separate
pointings) |
Observation
Time |
94.2 hours total |
Obs.
ID |
2267 through 2296 |
Color
Code |
Energy |
Instrument |
ACIS
|
Reference |
Q.D. Wang et al. Nature, 415,
148, (2002) |
Distance
Estimate |
About 25,000 light years
|
Release
Date |
January 09, 2002
| | |