Credit: X-ray: (NASA/SAO/CXC/M.Garcia et al.) Optical: (NASA/GSFC/T.Brown et al.)

This image of the central region of the Andromeda Galaxy is a composite of Chandra X-ray data (3 pixilated sources) and Hubble optical data (red contours). A supermassive black hole is thought to be within the highest optical contour on the lower right. These highly accurate positions show that the very cool X-ray source (blue) previously identified with the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy is actually about 10 light years south of the center. A second, hotter X-ray source, is found to be at a position consistent with the position of the supermassive black hole.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2001/0007rev/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html