We present high spatial resolution X-ray Chandra HRC and HST WFPC2 H \alpha observations of the prototypical infrared luminous galaxy NGC6240 .
The central region of this system shows a remarkably complex morphology , with filaments and loops observed in the optical and X-rays .
The total X-ray luminosity is dominated by the extended emission .
Both nuclei are clearly detected in the HRC image and both appear to be extended .
The energetics of the nuclei imply that the southern nucleus is the more plausible counterpart to the obscured AGN .
The overall SED of the galaxy is in good agreement with a blend of starburst and AGN components which have similar bolometric luminosities , L _ { bol } \sim 5 \times 10 ^ { 45 } ergs s ^ { -1 } , with the starburst dominating the observed continuum in the near-IR ( K-band ) , optical and soft X-ray bands .