Chandra Release - January 22, 2015

Visual Description: IYL 2015

This composite multipanel image showcases the universe through multiple wavelengths, each of the 5 panels highlighting a different kind of cosmic phenomenon. At top left, the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) spirals outward in dazzling blues, purples, and greens, its luminous arms studded with star-forming regions and energetic X-ray sources. The top right shows the glowing crab-like shell of a supernova remnant, SNR E0519-69.0, with a soft blue interior of heated gas encircled by a reddish rim tracing the expanding shockwave. To its side, a diffuse nebula appears as hazy clouds of pink and pale blue, suggesting turbulence and overlapping layers of emission. In the bottom left, a brilliant blue core with vivid red jets marks a radio galaxy, Cygnus A, where a supermassive black hole is propelling matter far into space. Finally, the bottom right panel features a slender, pinkish filament of RCW 86, streaked with blue haze against a starry backdrop, revealing high-energy emission woven into the cosmic landscape. Together, these views illustrate how different wavelengths of light - from X-ray to radio - unveil hidden structures and energetic processes that shape our universe.