HCG 62: A group of galaxies roughly 200 million light years from Earth.
Caption: Chandra reveals remarkable detail and complexity in this image of the galaxy group known as HCG 62. Such galaxy groups, smaller in number than better known "galaxy clusters," are an important class of objects because they may serve as cosmic building blocks in the large-scale structure in the universe. Perhaps the most striking features of this Chandra image are the two cavities that appear nearly symmetrically opposite one another (upper left and lower right) in the hot, X-ray emitting gas. These cavities may be explained by the presence of X-ray absorbing material or by jets of particles driving from HCG 62's core.
Scale: Image is 4 arcmin per side.
Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS Image
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