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X-ray Image |
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non-X-ray |
What if we X-rayed an entire spiral galaxy? This was done (again) recently by
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
for the nearby interacting galaxies known as the Whirlpool (M51). Hundreds of
glittering x-ray stars are present in the above Chandra image of the
spiral and its neighbor. The image is a conglomerate of X-ray light from
Chandra and visible light from the Hubble Space
Telescope. The number of luminous x-ray sources,
likely neutron star and black hole binary systems within
the confines of M51,
is unusually high for normal spiral or elliptical galaxies and suggests this
cosmic whirlpool has experienced intense bursts
of massive star formation. The bright cores of both galaxies, NGC 5194 and NGC
5195 (right and left respectively), also exhibit high-energy activity. In this false-color
image where X-rays are depicted in purple, diffuse X-ray emission typically
results from multi-million degree gas heated by supernova
explosions.
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