NASA releases never-seen-before images of Peacock galaxy 25 years after launch of Chandra

NASA is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Chandra X-ray Observatory launch by sharing never-before-seen photos of the largest known spiral galaxy in the universe. 

The Chandra X-ray observatory was launched on July 23, 1999. Since then, it has scoured the universe to look for X-ray emissions from exploded stars, clusters of galaxies and more, according to NASA. The observatory returns data to the Chandra X-ray Center at Harvard University’s Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. 

Since its launch, the observatory has captured images of the aftermath of exploded stars, photographed the supermassive black hole that exists at the center of the Milky Way, and helped scientists learn more about dark matter, dark energy and black holes.

“For a quarter century, Chandra has made discovery after amazing discovery,” said Pat Slane, director of the Chandra X-ray Center, in a news release shared by NASA. “Astronomers have used Chandra to investigate mysteries that we didn’t even know about when we were building the telescope — including exoplanets and dark energy.”

The observatory captured thousands of images of the spiral galaxy, known as NGC 6872, since its launch. The galaxy, located in the Peacock constellation of the universe, is over 522,000 light-years across, or more than five times the size of the Milky Way, according to NASA. 

The 25 images released by NASA show a stunning swirl of red, blue and purple. The solar objects featured in the photos include the “Crab Nebula” and Cassiopeia A, supernova remnants notable for their striking appearance and large sizes. The observatory has also photographed the planet Jupiter. 

“On behalf of the STS-93 crew, we are tremendously proud of the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its brilliant team that built and launched this astronomical treasure,” said Eileen Collins, commander of the space shuttle Columbia mission that launched Chandra into space in 1999, in NASA’s news release. “Chandra’s discoveries have continually astounded and impressed us over the past 25 years.”