Chandra Release - August 16, 2000

Visual Description: Antennae

The X-ray image of the colliding galaxies called The Antennae (NGC 4038/4039) depicts an intricate and vibrant cosmic event. The overall texture of the image resembles bright orange blobs, with numerous bright dots scattered across the background. This Chandra X-ray Observatory image of the Antennae shows the central regions of two galaxies in collision. The dozens of bright point-like sources are neutron stars or black holes pulling gas off nearby stars. The bright fuzzy patches are superbubbles thousands of light years in diameter that were produced by the accumulated power of thousands of supernovas. The remaining glow of X-ray emission could be due to many faint X-ray sources, or to clouds of hot gas in the galaxies. Overall, the X-ray image of The Antennae offers a unique and captivating glimpse into the cosmic realm of massive collisions.