April 14, 2014 W49B, a supernova remnant in Aquila Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/MIT/L.Lopez et al.; Infrared: Palomar; Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA W49B (also known as SNR G043.3-00.2 or 3C 398) is a highly distorted supernova remnant of some 60 light years across – produced by a rare type of explosion – located somewhere between 26,000 and [continue reading]
Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have taken a major step in explaining why material around the giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy is extraordinarily faint in X-rays. This discovery holds important implications for understanding black holes. This composite image combines observations using infrared light and X-ray light that [continue reading]
Quasars are among the brightest, oldest, most distant, and most powerful objects in the Universe. Powered by massive black holes at the center of most known galaxies, quasars can emit enormous amounts of energy, up to a thousand times the total output of the hundreds of billions of stars in our entire Milky Way. [continue reading]
July 23, 2013 NGC 3393, a spiral galaxy in Hydra Image Credit: NASA/STScI NGC 3393 is a barred spiral galaxy of some 9,800 light-years across, located about 160 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Hydra (Water snake). It is receding from us at approximately 3750 kilometers per second. Remarkable is that the [continue reading]
No hope for a spectacular stellar catastrophe One might expect that collisions between the remains of monstrous stars, with masses reaching 200-300 times that of our Sun, would be among the most spectacular phenomena in the Universe. Perhaps they are, but we will unfortunately probably never have the chance to find out. Astrophysicists [continue reading]
May 26, 2013 Henize 2-10, a dwarf galaxy in Pyxis Image Credit: X-ray: (NASA/CXC/Virginia/A.Reines et al); Radio: (NRAO/AUI/NSF); Optical: (NASA/STScI) Henize 2-10 (also known as ESO 495- G 021) is an irregular shaped, compact blue dwarf galaxy of some 3,600 light-years across, located 34.24 million light-years away from Earth in the southern constellation of Pyxis [continue reading]