The Whirlpool Galaxy is an astrophotography classic , all swirling arms and bright stars . A new composite image of opthalmic and X - beam wavelength layers in a function of neutron champion and black holes within the galaxy , promising X - shaft of light informant spotlight an ongoing galactic hit .
The Whirlpool Galaxy isMessier Object 51(M51 ) , one of the original fuzzy blobs categorise by early astronomers squint through their ‘ scopes . While the optical - lighter persona from the Hubble Space Telescope is probably familiar , this composite image adds a new layer of nearly 1 million second of X - light beam observations from Chandra .
Each of the bright majestic point is an cristal - re source , most commonlyan X - ray binarywhere aneutron star or bootleg holeis orbiting a more mundane companion mavin . The alien compact star steals gas from its companion . The gaseous state accelerates as it spirals within the intense gravitational subject , inflame to trillion of degree where it breathe X - electron beam .
Companion to a Supernova
A Very Strange Supernova
The Whirlpool Galaxy is a monolithic helical galaxy like our own , although we ca n’t feasibly get such a beautiful vantage point to notice the Milky Way . While we ’re set to collide with the Andromeda Galaxy in the distant future , the Whirlpool Galaxy is already mid - commingle . While hug drug - ray sources are scatter through both the Whirlpool Galaxy and the smaller galaxy blend into it , they ’re most dense in the region wall the collision where the billowing galactic dynamics are triggering waves of star formation . The most massive of those star race through their fusible materials in just a few million eld before exploding and collapse into heavyset objective . The remains of those blowup , neutron stars or fateful trap , are X - shaft of light rootage detectable by Chandra .
The Whirlpool Galaxy in visual wavelength [ give , credit : NASA / STScI ] and X - ray wavelengths [ right , credit : NASA / CXC / Wesleyan Univ./R.Kilgard , et al ] . Top simulacrum is a rotated composite of these two image .
Most of the X - beam binaries comprise neutron stars , but at least ten are bright enough to contain a black jam , and eight of those are crunch on a fellow superstar more massive than our sun . In ten years of observation , Chandra has discover that the X - ray source stay consistently vivid over meter , bespeak a stiff supply of super - het gas .
Last time Chandra follow the wandflower , it ascertain roughly 100 XTC - ray sources . The novel , long observations reveal closer to 500 decade - beam sources , of which 400 are likely within the galaxy , and the residuum are either in the foreground or setting . Aside from providing brainstorm into galaxy dynamics and stellar evolution , cautiously single-valued function known X - beam sources helps usrecognize glitches when abide by da Gamma ray flare-up .
Was That Just a Gamma Ray Burst in Andromeda ? ! ( update : No , but still cool . )
The Whirlpool Galaxy is about 30 million light years by . The scale is as judgment - boggling as it always is in astronomy : the landing field of vista in the image is 6 by 10 arcmin , or roughly 52,000 by 87,000 light long time across at the depth of the galaxy .
take more on theChandra website .
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