chandra_363 August 6th, 2007
Credit: Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech; X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: WIYN Consortium
The center of this composite image shows four large galaxies that are colliding and will ultimately merge. This collision is occurring in a giant cluster of galaxies called CL0958+4702. Infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope are shown in red, visible light data from the WIYN telescope are green, and X-rays from the Chandra X-ray Observatory appear in blue. The Chandra data show hot hydrogen gas at temperatures of a few million degrees and this gives astronomers information on how much the cluster weighs.
Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory
Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/cl0958/
Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA
Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html
Detailed color mapping information coming soon...
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