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Chandra X-ray Image of Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
In this Chandra X-ray image of the Andromeda Galaxy, hot, X-ray bright gas is seen to envelop the middle of Andromeda. Point sources are also prominent, which mostly reveal pairs of stars that are interacting with each other. Many of these double stars are thought to include white dwarfs pulling large amounts of material away from a companion star. When the amount of gas being dumped onto the white dwarf gets too high a thermonuclear explosion occurs on the surface of the white dwarf, emitting bright X-rays.
Scale: Image is 12.8 by 9.7 arcmin
(Credit: NASA/CXC/MPE/W.Pietsch et al)
In this Chandra X-ray image of the Andromeda Galaxy, hot, X-ray bright gas is seen to envelop the middle of Andromeda. Point sources are also prominent, which mostly reveal pairs of stars that are interacting with each other. Many of these double stars are thought to include white dwarfs pulling large amounts of material away from a companion star. When the amount of gas being dumped onto the white dwarf gets too high a thermonuclear explosion occurs on the surface of the white dwarf, emitting bright X-rays.
Scale: Image is 12.8 by 9.7 arcmin
(Credit: NASA/CXC/MPE/W.Pietsch et al)
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Optical Image of Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
This optical image of Adromeda was taken by the National Science Foundation's 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Located in the constellation of Andromeda (the Princess), the Andromeda Galaxy is a large spiral galaxy very similar to our own Galaxy, the Milky Way. Also known as Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the Andromeda Galaxy is over 65,000 light years in diameter and approximately 2.9 million light years from Earth.
(Credit: NOAO/AURA/NSF/T.Rector & B.A.Wolpa)
This optical image of Adromeda was taken by the National Science Foundation's 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Located in the constellation of Andromeda (the Princess), the Andromeda Galaxy is a large spiral galaxy very similar to our own Galaxy, the Milky Way. Also known as Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the Andromeda Galaxy is over 65,000 light years in diameter and approximately 2.9 million light years from Earth.
(Credit: NOAO/AURA/NSF/T.Rector & B.A.Wolpa)
Return to Andromeda Galaxy (M31) (22 May 07)
Revised: June 07, 2022