Caption: The Fireworks galaxy, which is 7 Mpc away and forms stars at a rate of 3 solar masses per year, is aptly named due to the high rate of supernova explosions (1 every 10 years), leading to numerous high-mass X-ray binaries and ultra-luminous X-ray sources. Left panel: Hubble image. Right panel: 50 ks Athena/WFI simulation using the SImulation of X-ray TElescopes software package. Athena/WFI will detect hundreds of X-ray binaries and the faint, hot X-ray-emitting gas in this supernova factory.

Credit: Left panel: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Leroy, K.S. Long; Right panel: Neven Vulic (NASA GSFC).