The universe has never looked this radiant. NASA’s Chandra X-ray telescope has captured a dazzling new collection of cosmic scenes. These images give us a rare glimpse into the high-energy side of space.
How Chandra's X-ray view adds new detail
Chandra has been watching the skies since its 1999 launch. It detects X-rays, a type of light invisible to our eyes. These rays reveal hot, energetic regions like black holes and supernovae.
Unlike Hubble, which sees in visible light, or JWST, which sees in infrared, Chandra focuses on X-rays. Combining images from all three lets scientists understand space in much more detail.
In the new images, X-ray light appears in pink and purple. The result is a cosmic showcase full of glowing gas and newborn stars.
What these new space images reveal
The top row features N79, NGC 2146 and IC 348. N79 is a star-forming region in a galaxy near ours. It shines with gas heated by massive young stars. NGC 2146 shows strong winds from giant stars and remnants of past explosions. IC 348 reveals reflective gas clouds and scattered stars just beginning to form.
The middle row includes spiral galaxies M83 and NGC 1068, plus M82, a starburst galaxy. NGC 1068's black hole winds move at a million miles per hour. M82 glows with superheated gas created by rapid star birth.
The bottom row offers more cosmic wonders. NGC 346 is a star cluster packed with young stars and debris. IC 1623 is a dramatic merger of two galaxies where new stars are forming. Westerlund 1, the largest super star cluster near Earth, shines with X-rays from thousands of powerful stars.
Why these cosmic portraits matter
NASA has also released a video exploring each of these images. There's an online page comparing the views from Chandra, Hubble and JWST. By blending light from across the spectrum, researchers gain a fuller picture of how the universe works.
These fresh images remind us how much more lies beyond the visible sky. Through Chandra’s lens, space reveals another layer of its ever-changing story.
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