// SPACE.COM — SPAZIO & SCIENZA
New NASA space telescope images reveal the universe in stunning red, white and blue for America 250
NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory, Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope teamed up to produce these gorgeous cosmic fireworks.
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NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has released four stunning images of cosmic wonders, depicted in red, white and blue to coincide with the United States' 250th anniversary on July 4.
The four images reveal superheated gas in a distant galaxy cluster, the swirling spiral galaxy known as Messier 94, a glowing nebula found in our own Milky Way galaxy, and the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant, respectively.
Along with the colorful cosmic images, the Chandra team produced sonifications in which the data collected by the powerful X-ray telescope was translated into sound. In this case, the sonifications turn these images into celestial music, mapping X-ray data into different audio frequencies and musical instrument sounds.
In this image, the galaxy cluster ZwCl 0024+1652 comes alive in vibrant blues and reds. The red in the image is produced from X-ray data collected by Chandra, revealing vast amounts of superheated gas surrounding these galaxies, found some 4 billion light-years from Earth in the Pisces constellation.
This image combines X-ray data from Chandra along with optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope, depicted here in blue. The Hubble data reveals the presence of dark matter, according to a statement from NASA.
Because dark matter does not interact with light, astronomers can't image it directly; its presence can be detected through the gravitational influence it has on surrounding matter that does interact with light.
Chandra also peered deep into the 'eye' of the spiral galaxy Messier 94 (M94, or NGC 4736), sometimes colloquially referred to as the Cat's Eye Galaxy. This galaxy is found some 16 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici, the "Hunting Dogs."
In this swirling image, X-ray data collected in space by Chandra was combined with visible light photography taken by telescopes here on Earth. The images show the distinctive inner region of Messier 94, known as a starburst ring, in which new stars are being born.