Chandra Spots a Cosmic Amethyst in a Dying Star
Chandra has found a bubble of ultra-hot gas at the center of a planetary nebula. Planetary nebulas are formed when Sun-like stars run out of…
Chandra X-ray Observatory News
“Gravitational Redshift”: Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Critical for GPS, Seen in Distant Stars
What do Albert Einstein, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and a pair of stars 200,000 trillion miles from Earth have in common? The answer is…
The Recipe for Powerful Quasar Jets: Why Some Supermassive Black Holes Launch Powerful Beams
Some supermassive black holes launch powerful beams of material, or jets, away from them, while others do not. Astronomers may now have identified why. Using…
Treasure Trove of Cosmic Delights Revealed by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory
Humanity has “eyes” that can detect all different types of light through telescopes around the globe and a fleet of observatories in space. From radio…
NASA Missions Explore a “TIE Fighter” Active Galaxy Far, Far Away
Not so long ago, astronomers mapped a galaxy far, far away using radio waves and found it has a strikingly familiar shape. In the process,…
Debris From Stellar Explosion Not Slowed After 400 Years: Still Blasting Away at Over 20 Million MPH [Video]
Astronomers have used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to record material blasting away from the site of an exploded star at speeds faster than 20 million…
Here’s What Happens When a Supermassive Black Hole Fails to Do Its Job [Video]
A new study reveals what happens when a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy cluster stops being active. By combining data from…
Black Hole Fails to Do Its Job, Unleashing a Remarkable Torrent of Star Formation
Astronomers have discovered what can happen when a giant black hole does not intervene in the life of a galaxy cluster. Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray…
Irregular Outbursts From a Double Star System – Energy Equivalent to 10 Million Trillion Hydrogen Bombs
For decades, astronomers have known about irregular outbursts from the double star system V745 Sco, which is located about 25,000 light-years from Earth. V745 Sco…
First Detection of X-Rays From a Newborn Star – Clues to Our Sun’s Earliest Phase of Evolution
Astronomers have reported the first detection of X-rays from the earliest phase of evolution of a star like our Sun. This discovery from NASA’s Chandra…
Three Million Light-Year Long Bridge Between Two Galaxy Clusters Warped by Supermassive Black Hole
A new study, based on data from ESA’s XMM-Newton and NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatories, sheds new light on a three million light-year long bridge of…
Star Captured by Supermassive Black Hole’s Gravity – And Survives!
Astronomers may have discovered a new kind of survival story: a star that had a brush with a giant black hole and lived to tell…
“Theory of Everything” Tested – NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory Probes String Theory
Astronomers used Chandra to perform a test of string theory, a possible “theory of everything” that would tie all of known physics together. One of…
The Most Powerful Black Hole Eruption Ever Seen in the Universe
Astronomers using ESA’s XMM-Newton and NASA’s Chandra X-ray space observatories, along with radio telescopes on ground, have spotted the aftermath of the most powerful explosion…
Record-Breaking, Gargantuan Black Hole Eruption – Biggest Explosion Seen in the Universe
The biggest explosion seen in the universe has been found. This record-breaking, gargantuan eruption came from a black hole in a distant galaxy cluster hundreds…
Astronomers Discover the Best Places to Look for “Genesis II” and Intelligent Alien Life
Orange Dwarf Stars Most Likely to Host Planets To date astronomers have discovered over 4,000 planets orbiting other stars. Statistically, there should be over 100…
Astronomers Build Incredible 3D Visualization of Exploded Star Using NASA’s Great Observatories [Video]
Movie Dissects the Nebula’s Intricate Nested Structure In the year 1054 AD, Chinese sky watchers witnessed the sudden appearance of a “new star” in the…
Positive Feedback Black Hole Triggers Star Formation a Million Light Years Away
One black hole is influencing the rate of star formation in multiple galaxies and across vast distances. This is a rare example of “positive feedback”…
