NASA shares stunning images created by combining data from Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA shared a set of three images from the universe on social media, highlighting the collaboration between its two observatories. This collaboration shows what kind of images can be produced when you look at the same object in two wavelengths of light. NASA said the images were created by combining data from the Hubble Space Telescope, space and the ground-based Chandra X-ray Observatory. The results are absolutely stunning. “By combining data from telescopes that can detect different types of light, we can comprehensively study cosmic phenomena,” the agency said.

It explains how to create an image by combining two separate datasets. NASA says the universe emits light and energy in many forms, and the observational capabilities of Chandra X-rays allow them to explore ultra-hot and energetic processes throughout the universe.

The first image in the Instagram post is of R Aquarii. In fact, it’s a pair of steadily burning white dwarfs and a variable-height red giant orbiting each other. The white dwarf pulls the red giant’s material to its surface. When enough material accumulates, it triggers an explosion. Data from Hubble is shown in red and blue in this image, while data from Chandra X-rays is shown in purple.

The second image depicts the Guitar Nebula and the X-ray stream (pink) ejected from the pulsar, almost perpendicular to the nebula. The Guitar Nebula is named for its shape in light (blue, or looking like a hollow guitar).

The third is a galaxy that merged after a spiral galaxy collided with a smaller galaxy. This gravitational interaction can generate waves of star formation. Chandra’s X-ray data (purple) combined with optical images from the Hubble Space Telescope (red, green and blue).