Chandra Release - August 10, 2017

Visual Description: IC 10

The image features a starburst galaxy named IC 10 in X-ray and optical light. IC 10 is an irregular galaxy known for intense star formation activity, making it a prime target for X-ray observations. In this image, IC 10 is dominated by bright red and blue colors along with light gold. The overall structure of IC 10 can be described as a collection of small, irregularly shaped clusters of stars and gas clouds, with some areas appearing brighter or more concentrated than others. Comparing the appearance of IC 10 to familiar everyday objects, it resembles a cluster of glowing fireflies in the night sky. Overall the shape of the object is loosely like a puffer fish swimming towards the viewer with pursed blue lips. This composite image of IC 10 combines X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (colored in blue) with an optical image (red, green, blue) taken by amateur astronomer Bill Snyder from the Heavens Mirror Observatory in California. The X-ray sources detected by Chandra appear as a darker blue than the stars detected in optical light.