Great Observatories' Unique Views of the Milky Way
Ssc2009 20a4

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/CXC/STScI

Observation • November 10th, 2009 • ssc2009-20a4

ssc2009-20a4

In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, NASA's Great Observatories -- the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory -- have produced a matched trio of images of the central region of our Milky Way galaxy. Each image shows the telescope's different wavelength view of the galactic center region, illustrating the unique science each observatory conducts.

X-rays detected by Chandra expose a wealth of exotic objects and high-energy features. In this image, pink represents lower energy X-rays and blue indicates higher energy. Hundreds of small dots show emission from material around black holes and other dense stellar objects. A supermassive black hole -- some four million times more massive than the Sun -- resides within the bright region in the lower right. The diffuse X-ray light comes from gas heated to millions of degrees by outflows from the supermassive black hole, winds from giant stars, and stellar explosions. This central region is the most energetic place in our galaxy.

About the Object

Name
Galactic CenterMilky Way
Type
Nebula > Type > Interstellar Medium
Galaxy > Component > Center/Core
Distance
26,000 Light Years