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Chandra X-ray Observatory

This is the supernova remnant called Cygnus Loop. The data examines this cloud of interstellar material interacting with the superheated,...
This is the supernova remnant called Cygnus Loop. The data examines this cloud of interstellar material interacting with the superheated, supernova blast wave.
This supernova is Cassiopeia A, the debris from an exploded star.
This supernova is Cassiopeia A, the debris from an exploded star.
BP Tau is a developing star, less than 10 million years old, and prone to outbursts or flares. These flares...
BP Tau is a developing star, less than 10 million years old, and prone to outbursts or flares. These flares interact with a disk of material that surrounds the young star, forming hot loops of extended atmosphere.
This supernova is G292.0+1.8. The G292.0+1.8 supernova remnant contains a pulsar moving at over a million miles per hour. Pulsars...
This supernova is G292.0+1.8. The G292.0+1.8 supernova remnant contains a pulsar moving at over a million miles per hour. Pulsars are rapidly spinning neutron stars that can form when massive stars run out of fuel, collapse, and explode. Sometimes these explosions produce a “kick,” which sent this pulsar racing through the remains of the supernova explosion.perhaps an iceberg on its side.
This artist's impression shows the effects of the collapse and supernova explosion of a massive star. A black hole (right)...
This artist's impression shows the effects of the collapse and supernova explosion of a massive star. A black hole (right) was formed in the collapse and debris from the supernova explosion is raining down onto a companion star (left), polluting its atmosphere.
In about 5 billion years, our Sun will run out of fuel and expand, possibly engulfing Earth. These end stages...
In about 5 billion years, our Sun will run out of fuel and expand, possibly engulfing Earth. These end stages of a star’s life can be utterly beautiful as is the case with this planetary nebula called the Helix Nebula. Astronomers study these objects by looking at all kinds of light. This series of images shows X-rays from Chandra, optical light data from Hubble, infrared data from the European Southern Observatory VISTA telescope, and ultraviolet data from GALEX of the Helix Nebula. At the center of the Helix is a white dwarf, a small dim star that remains after the star shed its outer layers.
This artist's impression shows a planet (left) that has approached too close to a white dwarf (right) and been torn...
This artist's impression shows a planet (left) that has approached too close to a white dwarf (right) and been torn apart by tidal forces from the star. The white dwarf is in the center of a planetary nebula depicted by the blue gas in the background. The planet is part of a planetary system, which includes one planet in the upper left and another in the lower right. The besieged planet could have initially been a considerable distance from the white dwarf but then migrated inwards by interacting with the gravity of other planets in the system.
Chandra captured the deepest X-ray image ever made of the spectacular star forming region called 30 Doradus. These images show...
Chandra captured the deepest X-ray image ever made of the spectacular star forming region called 30 Doradus. These images show the X-rays from Chandra, as well as optical data from Hubble, infrared data from Spitzer, and radio data from ALMA, and reveal one of the brightest and crowded regions of star formation relatively close to Earth. The Chandra data shows thousands of individual star systems as X-ray sources plus a diffuse X-ray glow from winds blowing off giant stars and gas expelled by supernovas.
Astronomers have taken a crucial step in showing that the most massive black holes in the universe can create their...
Astronomers have taken a crucial step in showing that the most massive black holes in the universe can create their own meals. Using X-ray data from Chandra and optical light data, this study, based on observations of seven galaxy clusters in total, provides new evidence that outbursts from black holes can cool down gas to feed themselves. Massive galaxies at the centers of the clusters contain huge black holes that power outbursts in the form of jets, driven by the black holes feasting on gas. These images show the X-ray and optical data of the Perseus and Centaurus clusters from the survey.
Astronomers have taken a crucial step in showing that the most massive black holes in the universe can create their...
Astronomers have taken a crucial step in showing that the most massive black holes in the universe can create their own meals. Using X-ray data from Chandra and optical light data, this study, based on observations of seven galaxy clusters in total, provides new evidence that outbursts from black holes can cool down gas to feed themselves. Massive galaxies at the centers of the clusters contain huge black holes that power outbursts in the form of jets, driven by the black holes feasting on gas. This image shows the X-ray and optical data of the Centaurus cluster from the survey.
Astronomers have taken a crucial step in showing that the most massive black holes in the universe can create their...
Astronomers have taken a crucial step in showing that the most massive black holes in the universe can create their own meals. Using X-ray data from Chandra and optical light data, this study, based on observations of seven galaxy clusters in total, provides new evidence that outbursts from black holes can cool down gas to feed themselves. Massive galaxies at the centers of the clusters contain huge black holes that power outbursts in the form of jets, driven by the black holes feasting on gas. This image shows the X-ray and optical data of the Perseus cluster from the survey.
This artist’s illustration shows flares on a red star that is only about a tenth the mass of the Sun....
This artist’s illustration shows flares on a red star that is only about a tenth the mass of the Sun. The exoplanet on the left in the background has abundant greenhouse gases, giving a cloudy atmosphere. A recent study has been made of a nearby star similar to the one depicted here. The study suggests that the warming effects of the greenhouse gases in any planet located in the outer regions of the habitable zone are required to allow life to flourish. Any planets located closer to the star likely receive too much high energy radiation from the star for life to flourish.
NGC 602 is a star cluster that lies on the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, one of the closest...
Near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy roughly 200 000 light-years from Earth, lies the young star cluster NGC 602, which is featured in this new image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. This image includes data from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-InfraRed Camera) and MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument). The local environment of this cluster is a close analogue of what existed in the early Universe, with very low abundances of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. The existence of dark clouds of dense dust and the fact that the cluster is rich in ionised gas also suggest the presence of ongoing star formation processes. This cluster provides a valuable opportunity to examine star formation scenarios under dramatically different conditions from those in the solar neighbourhood. [Image description: A star cluster is shown inside a large nebula of many-coloured gas and dust. The material forms dark ridges and peaks of gas and dust surrounding the cluster, lit on the inner side, while layers of diffuse, translucent clouds blanket over them. Around and within the gas, a huge number of distant galaxies can be seen, some quite large, as well as a few stars nearer to us which are very large and bright.]
Here is a new version of the “Christmas tree cluster.” NGC 2264 is a cluster of young stars between one...
Here is a new version of the “Christmas tree cluster.” NGC 2264 is a cluster of young stars between one and five million years old. (For comparison, the Sun is a middle-aged star about 5 billion years old – about 1,000 times older.) In this image of NGC 2264 data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have been combined with optical data captured from by astrophotographer Michael Clow from his telescope in Arizona in November 2024.
Using the deepest X-ray image ever made with Chandra of Centaurus A, astronomers have found an unusual mark from the...
Using the deepest X-ray image ever made with Chandra of Centaurus A, astronomers have found an unusual mark from the giant black hole’s powerful jet striking an unidentified object in its path. A patch of V-shaped emission connected to a bright source of X-rays is located close to the path of the jet from the supermassive black hole (highlighted in the inset). The arms of the “V” are at least about 700 light-years long. In this image, low, medium, and high-energy X-rays from Chandra are colored pink, purple, and blue respectively.
This is a colour composite photo of the peculiar galaxy Centaurus A (NGC 5128) , obtained with the Wide-Field Imager...
This is a colour composite photo of the peculiar galaxy Centaurus A (NGC 5128) , obtained with the Wide-Field Imager (WFI) camera at the ESO/MPG 2.2-m telescope on La Silla. It is based on a total of nine 3-min exposures made on March 25, 1999, through different broad-band optical filters (B(lue) - total exposure time 9 min - central wavelength 456 nm - here rendered as blue; V(isual) - 540 nm - 9 min - green; I(nfrared) - 784 nm - 9 min - red); it was prepared from files in the ESO Science Data Archive by ESO-astronomer Benoît Vandame. The elliptical shape and the central dust band, the imprint of a galaxy collision, are well visible.
The guitar shape in the “Guitar Nebula” comes from bubbles blown by particles ejected from the pulsar through a steady...
The guitar shape in the “Guitar Nebula” comes from bubbles blown by particles ejected from the pulsar through a steady...
The guitar shape in the “Guitar Nebula” comes from bubbles blown by particles ejected from the pulsar through a steady wind as it moves through space. Images from Chandra taken in 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2021 have been combined with a single image in optical light from Palomar. X-rays from Chandra show a filament of energetic matter and antimatter particles, about two light-years long, blasting away from the pulsar (seen as the bright white dot). The movie shows how this filament has changed over two decades. An inset shows a closeup of the “guitar head” from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope also changing over time from 1994-2021.
The guitar shape in the “Guitar Nebula” comes from bubbles blown by particles ejected from the pulsar through a steady...
The guitar shape in the “Guitar Nebula” comes from bubbles blown by particles ejected from the pulsar through a steady...
The guitar shape in the “Guitar Nebula” comes from bubbles blown by particles ejected from the pulsar through a steady wind as it moves through space. Images from Chandra taken in 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2021 have been combined with a single image in optical light from Palomar. X-rays from Chandra show a filament of energetic matter and antimatter particles, about two light-years long, blasting away from the pulsar (seen as the bright white dot). The movie shows how this filament has changed over two decades. An inset shows a closeup of the “guitar head” from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope also changing over time from 1994-2021.
This artist’s illustration shows a red, early-Universe dwarf galaxy that hosts a rapidly feeding black hole at its center. Using...
This release features an illustration of the galaxy in which black hole LID-568 resides. A smaller illustration of black hole itself, in an outlined box, is superimposed on top of the galaxy image toward our upper right. Two lines extend from a single point in the middle of the galaxy and terminate on corners of the outlined box containing the black hole illustration. The placement of the lines and outlined box indicate that the superimposed black hole image is an enlargement of a tiny place in the center of the galaxy.
In the Cygnus OB2 star cluster, giant stars send out large amounts of high-energy radiation that can disrupt relatively fragile...
In the Cygnus OB2 star cluster, giant stars send out large amounts of high-energy radiation that can disrupt relatively fragile disks of dust and gas that are in the process of coalescing to form new planets. These images show NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory data detailing the diffuse X-ray emission and young stars, with infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope revealing young stars and the cooler dust and gas throughout the region. These data were used to create the best census of young stars in the cluster.
This artist's impression shows the aftermath of a supermassive black hole having destroyed a star. Tidal forces from the black...
This release features an artist's rendering that illustrates the destructive power of a supermassive black hole. The digital image depicts a disk of stellar material surrounding one such black hole. At its outer edge a neighboring star is colliding with and flying through the disk. The black hole sits halfway down our right edge of the vertical image. It resembles a jet black semicircle with a domed cap of pale blue light. The bottom half of the circular black hole is hidden behind the disk of stellar material. In this illustration, the disk is viewed edge on. It resembles a band of swirling yellow, orange, and red gas, cutting diagonally from our middle right toward our lower left. Near our lower left, the outer edge of the stellar debris disk overlaps with a bright blue sphere surrounded by luminous white swirls. This sphere represents a neighboring star crashing through the disk. The stellar disk is the wreckage of a destroyed star. An electric blue and white wave shows the hottest gas in the disk. As the neighboring star crashes through the disk it leaves behind a trail of gas depicted as streaks of fine mist. Bursts of X-rays are released and are detected by Chandra. Superimposed in the upper left corner of the illustration is an inset box showing a close up image of the source in X-ray and optical light. X-ray light is shown as purple and optical light is white and beige.
Researchers have discovered a second pair of tails trailing behind a galaxy in this cluster. Previously, astronomers discovered a shorter...
Researchers have discovered a second pair of tails trailing behind a galaxy in this cluster. Previously, astronomers discovered a shorter pair of tails from a different galaxy close to this latest one. This newer and longer set of tails was only seen because of a deeper observation with Chandra that revealed the fainter X-rays that have been shown in the optical data. These tails span for over a million light-years and help determine the evolution of the galaxy cluster.
Researchers using Chandra, Swift, and XMM-Newton data have made important headway in understanding how – and when – a supermassive...
Researchers using Chandra, Swift, and XMM-Newton data have made important headway in understanding how — and when — a supermassive black hole obtains and then consumes material. This artist’s illustration shows a star that has partially been disrupted by a giant black hole in the system known as AT2018fyk. Astronomers correctly predicted when the black hole’s last snack on the star’s debris ended and predicted its next snack would begin between May and August of 2025. As long as the star survives the disruptions, these meals should occur every 3.5 years.
Researchers took note of AT2018fyk in 2018 when the optical ground-based survey ASAS-SN detected that the system had become much...
Researchers took note of AT2018fyk in 2018 when the optical ground-based survey ASAS-SN detected that the system had become much brighter. After observing it with NASA’s NICER and Chandra, and XMM-Newton, researchers determined that the surge in brightness came from a tidal disruption event (TDE), which signals that a star was completely torn apart and partially ingested after flying too close to a black hole. In this image, Chandra data of AT2018fyk is shown as an inset of an optical image of a wider field-of-view of the area.
These images were released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Chandra. They represent the wide range of objects that the...
This image shows a collection of 25 new space images celebrating the Chandra X-ray Observatory's 25th anniversary. The images are arranged in a grid, displayed as five images across in five separate rows. Starting from the upper left, and going across each row, the objects imaged are: Crab Nebula, Orion Nebula, The Eyes Galaxies, Cat's Paw Nebula, Milky Way's Galactic Center, M16, Bat Shadow, NGC 7469, Virgo Cluster, WR 124, G21.5-0.9, Centaurus A, Cassiopeia A, NGC 3532, NGC 6872, Hb 5, Abell 2125, NGC 3324, NGC 1365, MSH 15-52, Arp 220, Jupiter, NGC 1850, MACS J0035, SN 1987A.
The Cassiopeia A supernova remnant has been observed for more than 2 million seconds since the start of the Chandra...
This image features the Cassiopeia A supernova, an expanding ball of matter and energy ejected from an exploding star. Here, rings of neon blue and brilliant white emit veins of polished gold. The rings and their arching veins encircle a place of relative calm at the center of the supernova remnant. This hole at the center of the circle, and the three-dimensionality conveyed by the rings and their arching veins, give this image of Cassiopeia A the look of a giant, crackling, electric blue donut. X-rays detected by Chandra show debris from the destroyed star and the blast wave from the explosion.
This region of star formation contains the Pillars of Creation, which was made famous by the Hubble Space Telescope. Chandra...
This composite image features a region of star formation known as the Pillars of Creation. Here, tall columns of grey gas and dust emerge from the bottom edge of the image, stretching toward our upper right. Backed by dark orange and pink mist, the cloudy grey columns are surrounded by dozens of soft, glowing, dots in whites, reds, blues, yellows, and purples. These dots are young stars emitting X-ray and infrared light. Churning with turbulent gas and dust, the columns lean to our right with small offshoots pointing in the same direction. The misty glow, colorful stars, and lifelike grey dust formations combine to create an image of yearning cloud creatures at dusk, reaching for something just out of frame.
Cosmic Road Trip: four distinct composite images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope, presented in...
Cosmic Road Trip: four distinct composite images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope, presented in a two-by-two grid, Rho Ophiuchi at lower right, the heart of the Orion Nebula at upper right, the galaxy NGC 3627 at lower left and the galaxy cluster MACS J0416.
Rho Ophiuchi is a cloud complex filled with gas and stars of different sizes and ages.
Rho Ophiuchi, a cloud complex filled with gas, and dotted with stars. The murky green and gold cloud resembles a ghostly head in profile, swooping down from the upper left, trailing tendrils of hair. Cutting across the bottom edge and lower righthand corner of the image is a long, narrow, brick red cloud which resembles the ember of a stick pulled from a fire. Several large white stars dot the image. Many are surrounded by glowing neon purple rings, and gleam with diffraction spikes.
The Orion Nebula.
The young star nursery at the heart of the Orion Nebula resembles a dense, stringy, dusty rose cloud, peppered with thousands of glowing golden, white, and blue stars. Layers of cloud around the edges of the image, and a concentration of bright stars at its distant core, help convey the depth of the nebula.
Spiral galaxy NGC 3627.
The galaxy NGC 3627 appears pitched at an oblique angle, tilted from our upper left down to our lower right. Much of its face is angled toward us, making its spiral arms, composed of red and purple dots, easily identifiable. Several bright white dots ringed with neon purple speckle the galaxy. At the galaxy’s core, where the spiral arms converge, a large white and purple glow identified by Chandra provides evidence of a supermassive black hole.
ACS J0416 galaxy cluster.
Here is the distant galaxy cluster known as MACS J0416. The blackness of space is packed with glowing dots and tiny shapes, in whites, purples, oranges, golds, and reds, each a distinct galaxy. Upon close inspection (and with a great deal of zooming in!) the spiraling arms of some of the seemingly tiny galaxies are revealed in this highly detailed image. Gently arched across the middle of the frame is a soft band of purple; a reservoir of superheated gas detected by Chandra.
Star Cluster Westerlund 1.
Star Cluster Westerlund 1.
Abell 478 and NGC 5044.
Abell 478 and NGC 5044.
Abell 478 and NGC 5044 (Labeled)
Abell 478 and NGC 5044 (Labeled)
Wide Field Views of Abell 478 [Left] and NGC 5044 [Right].
Wide Field Views of Abell 478 [Left] and NGC 5044 [Right].
Chandra data reveal several X-ray ridges that astronomers think are the walls of a tunnel, shaped like a cylinder, which...
This image shows a region near the center of our Milky Way galaxy in X-ray and radio light. At the bottom of the image, near the center, is a brilliant, tangled knot of material that resembles a paint splatter. This is the brightest region in the image, and it contains the supermassive black hole at center of our galaxy, known as Sagittarius A*. Rising up from Sagittarius A* in the center of the image is a pillar of blue light referred to as a chimney. This chimney of hot gas is surrounded by red clouds that are filled with stars, presenting themselves as tiny red flecks. Near the top of the blue pillar is a streak of light blue, outlined by an illustrated, gray box. This streak is referred to as the chimney exhaust vent. Just to our left is another illustrated box that shows the close-up image of the chimney vent as observed by Chandra.
Supernova Remnant SNR 1181
Supernova Remnant SNR 1181