NGC 1637 Time-Lapse Movie
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The animation shows the NOAO optical image of the spiral galaxy NGC 1637, followed by seven individual Chandra X-ray images obtained on days 4 to 633 after the outburst of the supernova (SN 1999em). The bright X-ray source located East of the center of the galaxy is the black hole candidate. Most X-ray sources vary dramatically during the period covered by the Chandra observations. (The apparent variability of the diffuse emission is an artifact caused by the different sensitivities of the individual observations.) Next, the combined X-ray image is overlaid onto the optical image, which finally fades into an expanded central view of NGC 1637 from the Hubble Space Telescope.
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[Run time = 58 sec]
(Animation: NASA/CXC)