Chandra Release - February 28, 2019

Visual Description: NGC 3079

The image features a striking X-ray and optical composite of the galaxy NGC 3079. The galaxy appears predominantly teal and purple in color, with some bright pink and pale orange highlights. The galaxy appears to be shaped like a spiral, but the viewer is close up to the disk or pancake. In the center-right region of the galaxy, there is a bright white spot that has a bright purple lobster claw shaped semi-transparent structure rising up out of the galaxy. These are the superbubbles. The galaxy NGC 3079 contains two superbubbles that are a pair of balloon-like regions stretching out on opposite sides of the center of the galaxy: one is 4,900 light years across and the other is only slightly smaller, with a diameter of about 3,600 light years. In this composite image, X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory are colored in purple and optical data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are in orange and blue.