X-ray & Optical Images of Markarian 1216
Chandra data have helped astronomers reveal that a galaxy has more dark matter packed into its core than expected after being isolated for billions of years. The same field of view around this galaxy, called Markarian 1216, is shown in visible light from Hubble. This result gives astronomers insight into the evolution of a class of compact galaxies over billions of years, and may provide an opportunity to test ideas about the nature of dark matter.
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of CA Irvine/D. Buote; Optical: NASA/STScI