X-Ray Emission from the Starburst Galaxy IC 342

Multiple supernovae in starburst galaxies should produce a hot gas bubble that evolves through stages with distinctive X-ray signatures. We obtained X-ray observations of IC 342 with the ROSAT High Resolution Imager and find both diffuse and point source X-ray emission from the central region with a luminosity of 1.5 x 10^39^ ergs s^-1^. The diffuse emission has a diameter of 400 pc, a hot gas density of 0.2 cm^-3^, and a pressure of ~10^6^ K cm^-3^. The X-ray size and shape are similar to that seen at 1.4 GHz and in Hα, but unlike the prominent molecular bar. Theoretical modeling implies that the hot gas bubble has an age of 2 x 10^5^ yr and is still confined to the disk, suggesting that IC 342 is a starburst galaxy early in its development.