Chandra Reveals The Galactic Center

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The Beautiful Universe: Chandra in HD (Episode 2): Chandra reveals Center of the Milky Way and the Galactic Ridge.

Since its launch on July 23, 1999, the Chandra X-ray Observatory has been NASA's flagship mission for X-ray astronomy, taking its place in the fleet of "Great Observatories."

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The Milky Way, or simply the Galaxy, is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located. It is a barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Local Group of galaxies. It is one of billions of galaxies in the observable universe.

Some sources hold that, strictly speaking, the term Milky Way should refer exclusively to the band of light that the galaxy forms in the night sky, while the galaxy should receive the full name Milky Way Galaxy, or alternatively the Galaxy. However, it is unclear how widespread this convention is, and the term Milky Way is routinely used in either context.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way

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NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory is a telescope specially designed to detect X-ray emission from very hot regions of the Universe such as exploded stars, clusters of galaxies, and matter around black holes. Because X-rays are absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, Chandra must orbit above it, up to an altitude of 139,000 km (86,500 mi) in space.

The Smithsonian's Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, MA, hosts the Chandra X-ray Center which operates the satellite, processes the data, and distributes it to scientists around the world for analysis. The Center maintains an extensive public web site about the science results and an education program.

Chandra carries four very sensitive mirrors nested inside each other. The energetic X-rays strike the insides of the hollow shells and are focussed onto electronic detectors at the end of the 9.2- m (30-ft.) optical bench. Depending on which detector is used, very detailed images or spectra of the cosmic source can be made and analyzed.

Chandra has imaged the spectacular, glowing remains of exploded stars, and taken spectra showing the dispersal of elements. Chandra has observed the region around the supermassive black hole in the center of our Milky Way, and found black holes across the Universe.

Chandra has traced the separation of dark matter from normal matter in the collision of galaxies in a cluster and is contributing to both dark matter and dark energy studies. As its mission continues, Chandra will continue to discover startling new science about our high-energy Universe.

• http://chandra.harvard.edu/
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Category:

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[marcuelcajon]

@Ryagful You are in space.lol

[BrianJ1962]

COLONISE SPACE NOW !

If we worked together, instead of fighting over crap all the time - we'd be there already & stuff like this would be in everyone's family album.

Come on, people, get the bigger picture - please - for all our sakes!

[berzu21]

some mind blowing shit.

[charlieking100]

2.58 Every dot, every point of light, every pixel, every little smudge, is an entire Star system... Amazing image...!! Thanks to all scientists

[HealinGifts]

Wow! Where Am I here ???

[chandx7]

my name is chandra :)

[smokintheblaze]

Beam me up, space.....

AND BEYOND!!!

[JoeyPsych]

problem with the universe is not just that it is so vast, but that everything exiting that happens takes ages to unfold.

I wish I could become a couple of million years old to witness a few of them.

[Redeema08]

I know it's hard to believe in a being that was "present" prior to it's own existence, but that's simply because we hold it impossible, just as we once thought the Earth was flat. One thing is for sure, all of this is no coincidence. We are on a schedule here.

[JHK1976]

we really are living inside the mid- drift of a galactic explosion ! I