Chandra Release - December 11, 2014

Visual Description: NGC 2207 and IC 2163

The image of the NGC 2207 and IC 2163 features two face-on spiral galaxies in the process of merging. The data is colored in bright purple and pinks, with some blue, orange, brown and yellow.  NGC 2207 on the left is slightly smaller and a bit more red in color.  IC 2163 on the right is a little larger and a bit more purple in color. Both galaxies have distinct shapes, with the purple galaxy resembling a pinwheel being smooshed at the top and the pink galaxy appearing slightly more elongated in shape. This composite image of NGC 2207 and IC 2163 shows Chandra X-ray Observatory data in pink, optical light data from the Hubble Space Telescope in red, green, and blue (appearing as blue, white, orange, and brown), and infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope in red. There is a strong correlation between the number of X-ray sources in different regions of the galaxies and the rate at which stars are forming in these regions. The composite image shows this correlation through X-ray sources concentrated in the spiral arms of the galaxies, where large amounts of stars are known to be forming.