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New Chandra X-Ray Images Show Capabilities of Space-Based Telescopes
Earlier this month, NASA released a new gallery of 5 beautiful x-ray images taken by Chandra X-Ray Observatory, a space-based telescope that is observing astronomical objects in x-ray wavelengths.
Chandra X-Ray Observatory was launched in 1999 as NASA’s flagship mission for x-ray observations. X-ray emissions from space are absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, so Chandra was designed to orbit the Earth above the atmosphere. X-ray observations can tell us a lot about the nature of galaxies and other hot regions of space, such as exploded stars, clusters of galaxies, and matter around black holes.
X-rays are emitted during very hot and energetic processes, and Chandra’s new images do an amazing job of reflecting that. This new gallery includes images of a white dwarf star, a supernova remnant, a nebula containing a pulsar, and galaxy clusters. These images combine data from Chandra and other space and ground-based telescopes, showing how different types of light from different sources can be combined to make stunning images.
R Aquarii
R Aquarii is a stunning pair consisting of a white dwarf and a highly variable red giant. As they orbit each other, the white dwarf is pulling material from the red giant onto its surface. After a while of this material…
