Chandra Release - July 25, 2022

Visual Description: Zeta Ophiuchi

This Chandra X-ray Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope composite image highlights Zeta Ophiuchi, a hot, massive runaway star moving rapidly through space. At the centre of the scene is a brilliant blue-cyan point of light — Zeta Ophiuchi itself — embedded in a swirl of diffuse glow and filamentary structure.  On one side, a sweeping arc or bow-shock feature (rendered in warm tones of red/orange/green) curves outward, tracing where the star’s powerful stellar wind and motion compress and heat up interstellar gas as the star ploughs forward. The background fades into deep blue-black space dotted with faint stars, giving a strong sense of contrast between the turbulent star-driven environment and the calmer ambient medium.