NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has unveiled a spectacular new gallery of 16 galaxy images, each one combining X-ray data collected across the observatory's decades of operation with observations from other telescopes including the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble.
The collection, released on August 25, 2026 and dubbed "Galactic Gems," showcases galaxies at distances ranging from just 3 million light-years to 490 million light-years from Earth. Astronomers organized the galaxies into the three main categories — spirals, ellipticals, and irregulars — offering a visual tour of the diversity of galactic structures in our cosmic neighborhood.
Each image reveals high-energy phenomena invisible to optical telescopes alone. Chandra's X-ray data (shown in blue) captures superheated gas, powerful jets from black holes, and the remnants of exploded stars. When combined with infrared data from Webb and optical data from Hubble, the images paint a comprehensive picture of the forces at work within these distant systems.
Among the highlights is a particularly striking image of a jet emanating from a galaxy's central black hole, with Chandra's X-rays showcasing the high-energy jet while additional X-rays from the IXPE telescope (shown in orange) reveal the jet's magnetic field structure. Webb's infrared data (magenta) and optical light provide context for the surrounding stellar environment.
The gallery serves both as a celebration of Chandra's enduring scientific capabilities — the observatory has been operational since 1999 — and as a reminder of the importance of multi-wavelength astronomy. By combining data from different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, astronomers can build a far more complete understanding of how galaxies form, evolve, and interact.
The release comes at a time when NASA's astronomical observatories are producing an unprecedented stream of discoveries, with Webb continuing to reveal new details about the early universe and Chandra providing crucial high-energy perspectives that no other telescope can match.
