NASA’s Chandra X-ray telescope has discovered two new streams of superheated gas in a distant galaxy cluster called Zwicky 8338 (Z8338), which is located about 670 million light-years away from Earth. These streams of gas create a chaotic landscape within the cluster, trailing behind galaxies and forming an enormous comet-like tail that extends over 1.6 million light-years.
The recent observations by Chandra build on previous findings within the galaxy cluster, where shorter tails measuring 800,000 light-years long had been seen trailing behind a different galaxy. The new images show that these streams of gas from different galaxies have crossed each other, creating a fascinating spectacle in space.
The criss-crossing streams of gas play a crucial role in the evolution of the galaxy cluster. When gas is stripped away from a galaxy as it moves through the cluster, it forms a tail of superheated gas. This tail can split into two parts when it intersects with another stream of gas, leading to the formation of new stars and planets. The interaction between these streams is believed to create new structures within the cluster, contributing to its dynamic nature.
The X-ray data collected by Chandra highlights the pockets of superheated gas within the cluster and their position behind the moving galaxies. The images also include optical data from the Dark Energy Survey, showing the individual galaxies in the cluster. The advanced capabilities of Chandra allowed for deeper observations, revealing fainter X-rays from the longer set of tails that were previously unseen.
Overall, the discovery of these gas streams in the distant galaxy cluster provides valuable insights into the complex processes that shape galaxies and clusters in the universe. The interplay between galaxies, superheated gas, and shock waves within Z8338 showcases the dynamic nature of these cosmic structures, shedding light on their formation and evolution over cosmic timescales.
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