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Galactic Gems Glisten in New Gallery From NASA's Chandra

Chandra_901n_1024

chandra_901n August 25th, 2026

Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2026/galaxies/

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

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

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Image Details

Image Type: Observation
Object Name: NGC 3256

Distance

Universescale3

120,000,000 light years

Chandra_901n_128

Position Details

Position (ICRS): RA = 10h 27m 51.8s; DEC = -43° 54’ 10.5”
Orientation: North is 53.0° CCW
Field of View: 2.2 x 1.8 arcminutes
Constellation: Vela

Color Mapping

	Telescope	Spectral Band	Wavelength
	Chandra (ACIS)	X-ray	-
	Hubble	Optical	-
	Webb	Infrared	-

Chandra_901n_1280

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ID: 901n
Subject Category
Subject Name: NGC 3256
Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare

Release Date: 2026-08-25
Lightyears: 120,000,000
Redshift: 120,000,000
Reference Url: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2026/galaxies/

Type: Observation
Image Quality: Good
Distance Notes

Facility: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope
Instrument: ACIS, -, -
Color Assignment: Magenta, Pseudocolor, Pseudocolor

Band: X-ray, Optical, Infrared
Bandpass
Central Wavelength

Start Time: 2000-01-05-0131, -, -
Integration Time: 55007, -, -
Dataset ID: 835, 3569
Notes

Coordinate Frame: ICRS
Equinox: J2000
Reference Value: 156.9656680501639, -43.9029089954
Reference Dimension: 4206.0, 3528

Reference Pixel: 2103.0, 1764.0
Scale: -8.703989523571322e-06, 8.703989523571322e-06
Rotation: 52.96
Coordinate System Projection:: TAN

Quality: Full
FITS Header
Notes

Creator (Curator): Chandra X-ray Observatory
URL: http://chandra.harvard.edu
Name
Email: cxcpub@cfa.harvard.edu

Telephone: 617.496.7941
Address: 60 Garden St.
City: Cambridge
State/Province: MA

Postal Code: 02138
Country: USA
Rights: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html

Publisher: Chandra X-ray Center
Publisher ID: chandra
Resource ID: galaxies_ngc3256.tif

Resource URL: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2026/galaxies/galaxies.tif
Related Resources

Metadata Date: 2026-08-27
Metadata Version: 1.2

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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull

120,000,000 light years

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NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The award is part of NASA’s Science Activation program, which strives to further enable NASA science experts and content into the learning environment more effectively and efficiently with learners of all ages.