Chandra Release - December 19, 2001

Visual Description: NGC 4636

This Chandra X-ray Observatory image of the elliptical galaxy NGC 4636 has a bright white-blue center and is surrounded by darker blue specks and blobs. The image shows spectacular symmetric arms, or arcs, of hot gas extending 25,000 light years into a huge cloud of multimillion-degree-Celsius gas that envelopes the galaxy. The arcs look like two interlocking "U" shapes, almost like an hourglass on its side.  At a temperature of 10 million degrees, the arms of this galaxy are 30 percent hotter than the surrounding gas cloud.