Hubble image archive
Chandra Image of M101
Chandra's image of Messier 101, taken in X-ray light, shows the high-energy features of this spiral galaxy. X-rays are generally created in violent and/or high-temperature events. The white dots are X-ray sources that include the remains of exploded stars as well as material coll...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2009
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2009-07-2474-image
Chandra's image of Messier 101, taken in X-ray light, shows the high-energy features of this spiral galaxy. X-rays are generally created in violent and/or high-temperature events. The white dots are X-ray sources that include the remains of exploded stars as well as material colliding at extreme speeds around black holes. The pink and blue colors are emission from million-degree gas and from clusters of massive stars. The pink emission indicates lower-energy X-rays and the blue higher-energy X-rays. One reason astronomers study Messier 101's X-rays is to better understand how black holes grow in spiral galaxies.
Credits
NASA, CXC, and K. Kuntz (JHU)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | M101, NGC 4547, The Pinwheel Galaxy |
| Object Description | Face-on Spiral Galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 14h 03m 13s |
| Dec. Position | +54° 20' 53" |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 21.8 million light-years (6.7 megaparsecs) |
| Dimensions | This image is 18 arcminutes (114,000 light-years or 35,000 parsecs) wide. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The science team was led by K. Kuntz (Johns Hopkins University). |
| Instrument | CXO>ACIS |
| Exposure Dates | March 2000 - January 2005 |
| Filters | 0.45 - 1.00 keV and 1.00 - 2.00 keV |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | Pink: 0.45 - 1.00 keV Blue: 1.00 - 2.00 keV |
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Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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