Chandra Release - July 22, 2004

Visual Description: McNeil's Nebula

The image of McNeil's Nebula shows an X-ray outburst from a young star.  The image consists of two overlapping sections: a small X-ray image on the lower right and a larger optical image behind it.  The X-ray image contains four greenish dots of light, each numbered, while the optical image is dominated by shades of purple, cream and white.   The optical image displays a more intricate structure with surrounding material and the nebula's intricate shapes and structure, almost like a little fish swimming down in a hazy sea.   The X-ray inset of the region shows that the position of a source detected by Chandra is coincident with that of a bright infrared and optical source at the apex of the nebula.  Source number 3, thought to be a very young star, is illuminating the fish or fan-shaped cloud of gas, or nebula. The other sources in the field, labeled 1, 2, and 4, are other young, X-ray emitting stars in the region.