Composite X-ray image of the radio nebula W50. The surface brightnesses of the X-ray emission (on a linear scale) in 0.5−1 keV (red), 1−2 keV (green), and 2−4 keV (blue) energy bands are color-coded. The white arrows depict the projection of the precession cone of the SS 433 jets extrapolated to distances of ∼ 100 pc. Hard and soft X-ray diffuse emission splits convincingly into two components: softer filamentary emission (red–yellow) and harder (green–blue) emission of EXJs. On top comes a multitude of nearby (active stars and accreting white dwarfs) and distant (mostly AGNs) compact sources. For distant sources, the absorption by the Milky Way gas suppresses emission below 1 or 2 keV, giving them a blueish color.