This selection of images of different types of light from different missions and telescopes has been combined to better understand the universe. Each composite image contains X-ray data of the moon as well as other telescopes. Buzzets represent a range of different astrophysical objects, including Galaxy Messier 82, Galaxy Cluster Abel 2744, Supernova Remains 1987A, Binary Star System Eta Carney, Cartwheel Galaxy, and Planetary Nebula Helix Nebula. Credit: NASA / CXC / SAO, NASA / STSCI, NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSC, ESO / NAOJ / NRO, NRO / AUI / NSF, NASA / CXC / SAO / PSU, and NASA / ESA
Humanity has “eyes” that can detect a wide variety of light through a fleet of telescopes and observations in space all over the world. From radio waves to gamma rays, this “multivevalent” approach to astronomy is crucial to gaining a full understanding of space objects.
This compilation provides examples of images from various missions and telescopes to better understand the science of the universe. These images contain information from each NASALunar X-ray observatory as well as other telescopes. Different types of shown objects are shown (galaxies, supernova fossils, stars, planetary nebulae), but they show possibilities when data is assembled from the electromagnetic spectrum.
Row from top, left to right:
M82
Messier, or M82૨, is a galaxy that is sharp toward Earth. This gives astronomers and their telescopes an interesting view of what happens as these galaxies go through explosions of star formation. X-rays of the moon (appearing as blue and pink) show gas in a long stream of about 20,000 light years that is frequently heated by supernova explosions to temperatures in excess of ten million degrees. NASA Optical Light Data Hubble Space Telescope (Red and orange) shows the galaxy.
Credit: X-ray: NASA / CXC; Optical: NASA / STSCI
Abal 2744
Galaxy clusters are the largest objects in the universe held together by gravity. It contains many superheated gases, with temperatures in the tens of millions of degrees, that glow brightly in X-rays, and are found in millions of light years between galaxies. This image of the Bell Bell 2744 galaxy cluster collects X-rays of the moon (emitting blue) from Hubble (red, green, and blue) and connects to the optical light data.
Credit: NASA / CXC; Optical: NASA / STSCI
Supernova 1987A (SN 1987A)
On February 24, 1987, observers in the Southern Hemisphere observed a new object object in a nearby galaxy, called the Large Magellanic Cloud. This was one of the brightest supernova eruptions of the centuries and soon became known as the Supernova 1987 (SN 87A). Lunar data (blue) show the location of a supernova’s shock wave – similar to a sonic boom from a supersonic plane – interacting with material around four light-years from the original explosion point. Hubble’s (orange and red) optical data also show evidence for this interaction in the ring.
Credit: Radio: Alma (ESO / NAOJ / NRAO), p. Seagan and R. Indibatou; NRAO / AUI / NSF, B Suxton; X-ray: NASA / CXC / SAO / PSU / K. Frank et al .; Optical: NASA / STSCI
Bottom row, left to right:
Eta Carrie
What would be the next star in our galaxy to explode as a supernova? Astronomers are not certain, but one candidate is Eta Carrie, an unstable system consisting of two giant stars orbiting close to each other. There are three types of light in this image: Hubble’s optical data (visible as white), Hubble’s ultraviolet (cyan), and X-ray of the moon (visible as purple emission). As a result of previous explosions of these stars, hot, X-ray gas emissions of about 2.3 light years around these two stars have resulted in a ring.
Credit: NASA / CXC; Ultraviolet / Optical: NASA / STSCI; Combined image: NASA / ESA / N. Smith (University of Arizona), j. Mores (Boldlego organizations) and a
Cartwheel Galaxy
This galaxy looks like an ox’s eye, which is appropriate because its appearance is partly due to a small galaxy passing through the middle of this object object. Violent collisions produce shock waves that pass through the galaxy and cause large amounts of star formation. X-rays of the moon (purple) show a disturbing hot gas that initially stretched more than 150,000 light years from a collision drawn by the Cartwheel galaxy. Optical data from Hubble (red, green and blue) show where this collision could cause a star to form.
Credit: X-ray: NASA / CXC; Optical: NASA / STSCI
Helix nebula
When a sun-like star leaves the fuel, it expands and its outer layers collapse, and then the core of the star shrinks. This phase is known as the “planetary nebula”, and astronomers expect our sun to experience this in about 5 billion years. These helix nebula images feature infrared data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope (green and red), optical light from Hubble (orange and blue), ultraviolet from NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer (Cyan), and X-rays of the moon. White dwarf The star or nebula formed in the center. This image is about four light years old.
Credit: X-ray: NASA / CXC; Ultraviolet: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSC; Optical: NASA / STSCI (M. Maxner) / ESA / NRAO (TA Rector); Infrared: NASA / JPL-Caltech / K. Su
Three of these images – S.N. In 1987, Eta Kerry and the Helix Nebula were developed as part of NASA’s University of Learning Learning (UOL), an integrated astrophysics education and literacy program, and in particular UOL’s view space project. UOL brings together experts who work on the Moon, Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and other NASA astrophysics missions.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the lunar program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s lunar X-ray center controls science operations from Cambridge Massachusetts and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
