<p>Yes, sort of. But the Chandra image is of just a small portion at the centre of the Spitzer image.</p>
<p>Astronomical objects often have different appearances at different wavelengths.</p>
<p>In the case of the Orion Nebula Cluster, the Spitzer <strong>infrared</strong> observations trace warm dust which is distributed widely in this star-forming region.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the Chandra <strong>X-ray</strong> observations trace very hot gas, which is principally associated with the hot coronae of individual young stars.</p>
<p>In both cases, the data has been made into a coloured image, where red colours indicates the longer wavelengths and blue the shorter wavelengths in their respective ranges of wavelength sensitivity.</p>
<p>I believe the Chandra image covers a smaller area on the sky than the Spitzer image.
I think the Chandra image is <a href="https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/orion/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">5.5 arcminutes across</a>, whilst the Spitzer image is just over <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/spitzers-orion" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1 degree across</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-18T23:24:42.330Z
@Xenon there's nothing ironic there, the detection systems in both of these telescopes need to be cold relative to the energies they measure. For Spitzer's designed long wavelength of 160 microns corresponding to a photon energy of 0.0077 eV , the detectors need to be much colder than 90 Kelvin. For Chandra's low energy limit of about 70 eV photons, the detectors only need to be much cooler than 800,000 Kelvin, meaning, any temperature for which the detection system doesn't melt will be fine. $$E \approx hc/ \lambda \approx k_BT$$
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-19T16:22:49.797Z
@uhoh most every space telescope is cold. As far as I can tell.
Deko Revinio
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-19T16:59:19.593Z
@Xenon no, the Chandra telescope is quite warm. https://chandra.harvard.edu/resources/faq/chandra/chandra-18.html
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-19T17:13:37.820Z
@ProfRob warmer than I thought. Considering I'm from a place where the summer reaches 110 degrees, living inside the Chandra would be nice.
Deko Revinio
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-19T20:25:44.520Z
@Xenon Hubble is ~70 F too. If you have the choice, you keep things at room temperature, because it's far easier to align and test the optics at that point, rather than having to figure out how to get technicians to work in a liquid nitrogen vacuum chamber or oven. Where you can't do that is IR telescopes, because the warm optics will emit IR photons. JWST with test optics couldn't really fit in a vacuum chamber, so they had to invent new ways of test.
user71659
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-19T20:34:52.680Z
@user71659 I have learned more about the mechanics and temperatures of the telescopes over the course of these few hours than I think I have in a couple of years.
Deko Revinio
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-19T21:15:49.547Z
Just curious : are the 2 pictures at the same magnification?
Eric Duminil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-19T22:09:00.047Z
@EricDuminil I think the Chandra image covers a smaller area.
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-20T06:47:37.300Z
@ProfRob: Could be. It looks either like a stronger magnification, or a much lower one. The stars kinda look like the Orion's Belt. Anyway, it's probably hard to tell for amateur astronomers, used to looking at visible wavelengths.
Eric Duminil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-20T07:04:08.480Z
@EricDuminil I have found the pictures online and updated my answer. Neither image  encompasses Orion's belt.
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-18T22:36:33.717Z
2023-01-19T22:17:00.157Z
2023-01-19T22:17:00.157Z
ProfRob
<p>This image from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitzer_Space_Telescope" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Spitzer</a> telescope is supposedly of the Orion nebula. <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/O9XcY.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/O9XcY.jpg" alt="Image" /></a>
But this image from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandra_X-ray_Observatory" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chandra</a> telescope also claims to be of the Orion nebula.<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/c5Q6l.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/c5Q6l.jpg" alt="image" /></a></p>
<p>I have been unable to confirm either of these things.</p>

<observational-astronomy><identify-this-object><nebula><x-ray><orion>
Are these images of the same nebula?
Deko Revinio
# Are these images of the same nebula?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-01-18)

This image from the [Spitzer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitzer_Space_Telescope) telescope is supposedly of the Orion nebula. [![Image](https://i.sstatic.net/O9XcY.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/O9XcY.jpg)
But this image from the [Chandra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandra_X-ray_Observatory) telescope also claims to be of the Orion nebula.[![image](https://i.sstatic.net/c5Q6l.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/c5Q6l.jpg)

I have been unable to confirm either of these things.

**Tags:** observational-astronomy, identify-this-object, nebula, x-ray, orion


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-01-18. Score: 13 | Accepted answer

Yes, sort of. But the Chandra image is of just a small portion at the centre of the Spitzer image.

Astronomical objects often have different appearances at different wavelengths.

In the case of the Orion Nebula Cluster, the Spitzer **infrared** observations trace warm dust which is distributed widely in this star-forming region.

On the other hand, the Chandra **X-ray** observations trace very hot gas, which is principally associated with the hot coronae of individual young stars.

In both cases, the data has been made into a coloured image, where red colours indicates the longer wavelengths and blue the shorter wavelengths in their respective ranges of wavelength sensitivity.

I believe the Chandra image covers a smaller area on the sky than the Spitzer image.
I think the Chandra image is [5.5 arcminutes across](https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/orion/), whilst the Spitzer image is just over [1 degree across](https://www.nasa.gov/content/spitzers-orion).

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: @Xenon there's nothing ironic there, the detection systems in both of these telescopes need to be cold relative to the energies they measure. For Spitzer's designed long wavelength of 160 microns corresponding to a photon energy of 0.0077 eV , the detectors need to be much colder than 90 Kelvin. For Chandra's low energy limit of about 70 eV photons, the detectors only need to be much cooler than 800,000 Kelvin, meaning, any temperature for which the detection system doesn't melt will be fine. $$E \approx hc/ \lambda \approx k_BT$$  
> **username_0**: @username_2 most every space telescope is cold. As far as I can tell.  
> **username_1**: @Xenon no, the Chandra telescope is quite warm. https://chandra.harvard.edu/resources/faq/chandra/chandra-18.html  
> **username_0**: @username_1 warmer than I thought. Considering I'm from a place where the summer reaches 110 degrees, living inside the Chandra would be nice.  
> **username_3**: @Xenon Hubble is ~70 F too. If you have the choice, you keep things at room temperature, because it's far easier to align and test the optics at that point, rather than having to figure out how to get technicians to work in a liquid nitrogen vacuum chamber or oven. Where you can't do that is IR telescopes, because the warm optics will emit IR photons. JWST with test optics couldn't really fit in a vacuum chamber, so they had to invent new ways of test.  
> **username_0**: @username_3 I have learned more about the mechanics and temperatures of the telescopes over the course of these few hours than I think I have in a couple of years.  
> **username_4**: Just curious : are the 2 pictures at the same magnification?  
> **username_1**: @username_4 I think the Chandra image covers a smaller area.  
> **username_4**: @username_1: Could be. It looks either like a stronger magnification, or a much lower one. The stars kinda look like the Orion's Belt. Anyway, it's probably hard to tell for amateur astronomers, used to looking at visible wavelengths.  
> **username_1**: @username_4 I have found the pictures online and updated my answer. Neither image  encompasses Orion's belt.  

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