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NGC 3603:
Chandra Sees Multitude of New Stars in Nearby Star-Forming Region
NGC 3603 is a bustling region of star birth in the
Carina spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, about 20,000
light years from Earth. For the first time, this
Chandra image resolves the multitude of individual
X-ray sources in this star-forming region. (The
intensity of the X-rays observed by Chandra are
depicted by the various colors in this image. Green
represents lower intensity sources, while purple and
red indicate increasing X-ray intensity.) Specifically,
the Chandra image reveals dozens of extremely massive
stars born in a burst of star formation about two
million years ago.
This region's activities may be indicative of what is
happening in other distant "starburst" galaxies (bright
galaxies flush with new stars). In the case of NGC
3603, scientists now believe that these X rays are
emitted from massive stars and stellar winds, since the
stars are too young to have produced supernovas or have
evolved into neutron stars. The Chandra observations of
NGC 3603 may provide new clues about X-ray emission in
starburst galaxies as well as star formation
itself.
| Fast Facts for NGC 3603: |
| Credit |
NASA/GSFC/M.Corcoran et al. |
| Scale |
Image is 8.2 arcmin. |
| Category |
Normal Stars & Star Clusters |
| Coordinates (J2000) |
RA 11h 15m 09.60s | Dec -61° 16' 11.40" |
| Constellation |
Carina |
| Observation Dates |
May 1, 2000
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| Observation Time |
14 hours |
| Obs. IDs |
633
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| Color Code |
Intensity |
| Instrument |
ACIS |
| Distance Estimate |
About 20,000 light years |
| Release Date |
January 22, 2001 |
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