Chandra Reveals Nest of Tight Binaries in Dense Cluster 47 Tuc X

Chandra_157_1024

chandra_157 May 17th, 2001

Credit: NASA/CfA/J.Grindlay et al.

These Chandra images provide the first complete census of compact binary stars in the core of the globular cluster known as 47 Tucanae. As the oldest stellar systems in the Milky Way Galaxy, globular clusters are laboratories for stellar and dynamical evolution. Nearly all objects in the Chandra images are "binary systems," in which a normal, Sun-like star companion orbits a collapsed star, either a white dwarf or neutron star. The data also reveal the presence of "millisecond pulsars" that rotate extremely rapidly, between 100 to nearly 1000 times a second.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2001/0004/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html

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Image Details

Image Type
Collage
Object Name
47 Tucanae

Distance

Universescale1
15,000 light years

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 0h 24m 5.6s
DEC = -72° 4’ 56.5”
Constellation
Tucana

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Red Chandra (ACIS) X-ray (X-ray) 1.65 nm
Green Chandra (ACIS) X-ray (X-ray) 830.0 pm
Blue Chandra (ACIS) X-ray (X-ray) 250.0 pm
Spectrum_xray1
Red
Green
Blue
Chandra_157_1280
×
ID
157
Subject Category
Subject Name
47 Tucanae
Credits
NASA/CfA/J.Grindlay et al.
Release Date
2001-05-17
Lightyears
15,000
Redshift
15,000
Reference Url
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2001/0004/
Type
Collage
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Chandra, Chandra, Chandra
Instrument
ACIS, ACIS, ACIS
Color Assignment
Red, Green, Blue
Band
X-ray, X-ray, X-ray
Bandpass
X-ray, X-ray, X-ray
Central Wavelength
1.65, 0.83, 0.25
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
6.0234513, -72.0823736
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Position
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Chandra X-ray Observatory
URL
http://chandra.harvard.edu
Name
Chandra X-ray Observatory Center
Email
cxcpub@cfa.harvard.edu
Telephone
617.496.7941
Address
60 Garden St.
City
Cambridge
State/Province
MA
Postal Code
02138
Country
USA
Rights
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html
Publisher
Chandra X-ray Center
Publisher ID
chandra
Resource ID
0004_xray_zoom_comp.tif
Metadata Date
2011-10-20T14:14:35-04:00
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull
15,000 light years

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