In Cassiopeia A, X-rays from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory are shown along with an infrared image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Chandra’s X-ray vision reveals the blast wave that tore through the star plus elements in the debris field like iron, calcium, and oxygen. Webb’s infrared data also shows the expanding shell of material from the explosion plus cosmic dust throughout the remnant. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; IR: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand

NASA unveiled four patriotic-colored images of the cosmos to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, revealing everything from an exploded star to a galaxy cluster shaped by dark matter.

NASA is marking the 250th anniversary of the United States with a striking new collection of space images that showcase the beauty and power of the universe. Created using observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the four images have been rendered in red, white, and blue to honor the occasion.

Cassiopeia A Reveals the Aftermath of a Stellar Explosion

The first image (top of page) features Cassiopeia A, the remains of a star that exploded in a supernova. It combines X-ray observations from Chandra (shown in blue and purple) with infrared data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (displayed in red and white).

Chandra’s X-ray observations reveal the powerful blast wave from the explosion along with elements scattered throughout the debris, including iron, calcium, and oxygen. Webb’s infrared view highlights the expanding shell of material left behind and the clouds of cosmic dust spread across the remnant.

NGC 3603 shows a colossal and brilliant star factory located in the Carina spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy. These images show high-energy X-ray data from Chandra with infrared and ultraviolet views from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. While Hubble maps the towering, dark pillars of cold dust and the glowing gas blankets where new suns are born, Chandra’s X-ray data pierces through the haze. The X-rays reveal a sparkling, dense swarm of young, massive stars at the center of the cluster, shedding powerful winds and intense radiation as they take their first breaths in the cosmic wild. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; IR/UV: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/AURA; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand

NGC 3603 Shows a Stellar Nursery in the Milky Way

The next image (above) highlights NGC 3603, a nebula in the Milky Way that contains one of the galaxy’s largest clusters of young stars.

In this composite image, Chandra’s X-ray data (red and white) reveals diffuse emission near the center as well as numerous point-like X-ray sources scattered across the region. Data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, captured in optical, infrared, and ultraviolet light (red-orange, green, blue, and yellow), shows stars packed into the center along with dust and gas concentrated toward the bottom. Together, the combined observations create a striking red, white, and blue view, with the X-rays highlighting the brilliant glow of newly formed stars.

These images show the galaxy NGC 4736, also known as Messier 94 or M94. X-rays of different wavelengths from Chandra are included along with a striking visible light image from astrophotographers Brian Brennan and Remi Lacasse using their telescopes on the ground. M94 is a spiral galaxy with a bright inner ring around it where new stars are forming, called a starburst ring, perhaps fueled by gas driven in from its unique bar-like oval structure. It also has a remarkable outer ring of spiral arms. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: Brian Brennan and Remi Lacasse; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand

Messier 94 Highlights an Active Starburst Ring

The next image (above) presents a fresh view of the spiral galaxy NGC 4736, better known as Messier 94.

The image blends Chandra X-rays at multiple wavelengths (red, orange, and blue) with visible light observations captured by astrophotographers using ground-based telescopes (red, green, and blue). Messier 94 is known for its bright inner ring, called a starburst ring, where new stars are actively forming. Scientists think this burst of star formation may be fueled by gas flowing inward through the galaxy’s distinctive oval-shaped structure.

This image features ZwCl 0024+1652, an immense and distant cluster of galaxies bound together by gravity. X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals an enormous, glowing reservoir of superheated gas that pervades the entire cluster—a cloud containing far more mass than all of its galaxies combined. Also shown is optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope, which captures the individual galaxies drifting within the cluster. By analyzing how the cluster’s immense gravity warps the light of objects far behind it, astronomers used specially processed Hubble data to map a massive, invisible ring of dark matter. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical and Dark Matter: NASA/ESA/M.J. Jee; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare

Galaxy Cluster Offers Evidence of Dark Matter

The final image (above) in NASA’s patriotic collection features ZwCl 0024+1652, a distant galaxy cluster that has helped astronomers uncover evidence for dark matter.

Specially processed Hubble data (blue) reveals the effects of dark matter within the cluster, while another Hubble image shows the cluster’s individual galaxies in yellow and white. Chandra’s X-ray observations (red) reveal a vast reservoir of superheated gas filling the cluster. That hot gas contains far more mass than all of the cluster’s galaxies combined, providing another dramatic glimpse into one of the universe’s largest structures.

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