SPACEPHOTOS

Chandra image the inner portion of the Circinus galaxy. This Chandra x-ray image shows the inner portion of the Circinus galaxy, with north at the top of the image and east to the left. In terms of x-ray energies, red represents low energy, green intermediate and blue the highest observed energies. The emission is resolved into a number of distinct components, many of which are associated with a central black hole. A bright, compact emission source is present at the center of the image. That nuclear source is surrounded by a diffuse x-ray halo that etends out several hundred light years. The x-rays directly to the northwest of the nucleus appear red, indicating predominantly soft energies, while the x-rays to the southeast are blue, indicating only hard energies.