Webb and Chandra Work Together to Produce New Images of Familiar Objects

Four new composite images released by NASA show the power of combining infrared and x-ray data to reveal new details of some familiar objects in space. These objects, two galaxies, a star cluster, and a nebula, were imaged by both Webb and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, two of NASA’s space based telescopes. The images use data from images that were previously released by Webb and new data taken by Chandra.

A combined image of the new views taken by Webb and Chandra. X-ray data by Chandra, Infrared by JWST and Spitzer, Optical/visible data by Hubble and others. Credits: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, XMM: ESA/XMM-Newton; IR: JWST: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI, Spitzer: NASA/JPL/CalTech; Optical: Hubble: NASA/ESA/STScI, ESO; Image Processing: L. Frattare, J. Major, and K. Arcand

These new images, announced in a blog post on NASA’s website, use Webb’s infrared capabilities and Chandra’s x-ray views to provide composite images that show details in these two wavelengths, giving a more detailed view into these objects than visible light alone.

While the human eye can only see a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum due to its size and resolution capabilities, space based telescopes are able to see beyond our limitations. Not only are they free from interference caused by Earth’s atmosphere, temperature fluctuations, and light pollution, their larger size means they can take in more light than an eye, allowing them to see faint features and wavelength that are longer or shorter than visible light.