A Galactic Spectacle: A pair of colliding galaxies about 62 million light years from Earth.

A Galactic Spectacle: A pair of colliding galaxies about 62 million light years from Earth.

Description: This composite image of the Antennae galaxies contains X-rays from Chandra (blue), optical data from Hubble (gold and brown), and infrared data from Spitzer (red). The X-ray image shows huge clouds of hot, interstellar gas that have been injected with rich deposits of elements from supernova explosions. This enriched gas, which includes elements such as oxygen, iron, magnesium and silicon, will be incorporated into new generations of stars and planets. The bright, point-like sources in the image are produced by material falling onto black holes and neutron stars that are remnants of the massive stars.

Creator/Photographer: Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, which was launched and deployed by Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999, is the most sophisticated X-ray observatory built to date. The mirrors on Chandra are the largest, most precisely shaped and aligned, and smoothest mirrors ever constructed. Chandra is helping scientists better understand the hot, turbulent regions of space and answer fundamental questions about origin, evolution, and destiny of the Universe. The images Chandra makes are twenty-five times sharper than the best previous X-ray telescope. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls Chandra science and flight operations from the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Medium: Chandra telescope x-ray

Date: 2010

Persistent URL: chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2010/antennae/

Repository: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Gift line: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/J.DePasquale; IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Optical: NASA/STScI

Accession number: antennae_459

26 thoughts on “A Galactic Spectacle: A pair of colliding galaxies about 62 million light years from Earth.

  1. *** R O S i ***
    *** R O S i *** says:

    nice capture……

  2. djuhff

    love this!

  3. kh-photos ~ Kurt ~
    kh-photos ~ Kurt ~ says:

    Gorgeous!

  4. Lauri Koivuluoma
    Lauri Koivuluoma says:

    WOW!!

  5. FiFaan AL.zahrani
    FiFaan AL.zahrani says:

    how great & wonderful shot buddy !
    well done .

    [http://www.flickr.com/photos/fifaan/5405110223/]
    comment & fav = )

  6. kei0727

    beautiful!!

  7. doug 

    ☆ ❤ ☜

  8. Zinaida Beaumont (very busy)
    Zinaida Beaumont (very busy) says:

    So amazing.
    We are so little in the universe (I know, it’s common knowledge, but… )

  9. Anna Melina

    I love it!

  10. gem art( on and off)
    gem art( on and off) says:

    Wow, that is amazing!

  11. -Ina Ina-

    Whoa…..amazing.

  12. Aralc Llerom

    Amazing, incredible, perfect, wonderful…

  13. becky cupcake.™
    becky cupcake.™ says:

    wonderful!

  14. TatianeRicordi
    TatianeRicordi says:

    Que tudo ! O:

  15. StafbulCZ

    There are wonderful things…. Nice to see something like this on Flickr!

  16. hvstargazer

    Unbelievable beauty!

  17. mountain92

    great

  18. 仟翅羽

    太美丽了.

  19. madame &queen.
    madame &queen. says:

    beeeeeeeeautiful

  20. jitibravo

    amaziiiing!!!!…..

  21. Toby Hacker

    WOW!

  22. Prince Veronica
    Prince Veronica says:

    i could just get lost in this photo.
    it’s beautiful.

  23. Scabeater

    The universe is so amazing. I still can’t believe that we are able to look that far.

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