Latest news with #PSZ2G181
NDTV
a day ago
- Science
- NDTV
Two Galaxy Clusters That Collided Previously Are All Set To Smash Again
Two galaxy clusters that previously collided are now heading for another round of cosmic headbutt, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes have found. Located 2.8 billion light years from Earth, each of the two galaxy clusters contain thousands of galaxies, vast quantities of dark matter and superheated gas. The two colliding clusters, together known as PSZ2 G181, resemble an irregular violet peanut shell with bulbous ends linked by a tapered middle. A composite image of the cosmic event shows crescent-shaped structures surrounding the system. As per the astronomers, these are likely shock fronts, described as massive, sonic-boom disturbances, often located near a dense core remnant. The shock fronts created from the initial impact have since moved apart and are now about 11 million light-years away from each other - the widest separation ever recorded. This suggests just how massive and long-lasting the effects of galaxy collisions can be. "Bracketing the combined galaxy cluster, these shock fronts were caused by the initial collision about a billion years ago. They are currently separated by 11 million light-years," NASA stated. Despite their enormous distance, the galaxy clusters are gravitationally bound and slowly turning back for another high-speed impact. "Now, data from NASA's Chandra and ESA's XMM-Newton is providing evidence that PSZ2 G181 is poised for another collision. Having a first pass at ramming each other, the two clusters have slowed down and begun heading back toward a second crash." As per Andra Stroe, the lead author of the study, the second encounter offers scientists the chance to observe a lower-mass system undergoing the kind of large-scale violence typically seen in more massive clusters. Additionally, the collision could provide more insights into the mysterious unseen substance known as dark matter, as well as the evolution of the universe.
India Today
2 days ago
- Science
- India Today
Forget Trump vs Musk, two galaxies are about to collide in space
While Donald Trump and Elon Musk beef continues, there is something even bigger happening in the Chandra X-ray Observatory, along with other telescopes, has captured a rare cosmic event: two massive galaxy clusters that collided about a billion years ago are now on course to crash into each other system, known as PSZ2 G181, lies approximately 2.8 billion light-years from Galaxy clusters are among the largest structures in the universe, consisting of hundreds or thousands of galaxies, vast amounts of superheated gas, and invisible dark matter, all bound together by gravity. Photo: Nasa PSZ2 G181 is a lower-mass system compared to other known colliding clusters, making this event particularly unusual and valuable for radio observations by the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) in the Netherlands revealed bracket-shaped structures—likely shock fronts—on the outskirts of the shock fronts are similar to sonic booms created when jets break the sound barrier and are thought to have formed from the initial collision's disruption of that first impact, the shock fronts have traveled outward and are now separated by about 11 million light-years, the largest such separation ever composite images combine X-ray data from Nasa's Chandra (shown in purple) and ESA's XMM-Newton (blue) with LOFAR's radio data (red) and optical images from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS). These observations reveal three shock fronts aligned along the collision axis, which scientists interpret as early signs of the clusters' impending second their initial pass, the two clusters slowed down and have begun moving back toward each other, setting the stage for another massive cosmic collision. Researchers are still determining the exact mass of each cluster, but the total mass is less than that of other colliding systems, making PSZ2 G181 an exceptional discovery, detailed in a series of papers led by Andra Stroe of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, offers a unique window into the dynamics of galaxy cluster collisions and the growth of large-scale cosmic structures.
