Galaxy Cluster Collision Created 1.6 Million Mile Shockwave
NASA Chandra X-ray telescope data from galaxy cluster Abell 2146 shows a "shockwave that stretches for some 1.6 million miles," that was created by a collision with another cluster.
Credit: NASA/CXC/A. Hobart
Credit: NASA/CXC/A. Hobart
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TechTranscript
00:00 [music]
00:03 Visit Chandra's beautiful universe.
00:06 Able 2146
00:09 Galaxy clusters are among the largest structures in the universe,
00:14 containing hundreds of galaxies and huge amounts of hot gas and dark matter.
00:19 Sometimes these gigantic objects collide with one another,
00:23 and when they do, they release enormous amounts of energy,
00:27 unlike anything witnessed since the Big Bang.
00:30 These galaxy cluster collisions also provide scientists with physics laboratories
00:35 that are unavailable here on Earth.
00:38 A new study of the galaxy cluster collision, known as Able 2146,
00:43 uses a very long look, about 23 days' worth of observing time,
00:47 from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.
00:51 X-rays are particularly important in studying galaxy clusters
00:55 because they detect the massive amounts of hot gas
00:58 that fills the spaces between the galaxies themselves.
01:01 When researchers analyzed the Chandra data of Able 2146,
01:06 they found a shock wave that stretches for some 1.6 million miles.
01:11 The shock wave, which is similar to a sonic boom created by a jet plane,
01:16 was generated by the hot gas from one cluster pushing on the other.
01:21 There is also a second shock wave detected behind the collision.
01:26 Shock waves like those generated by a supersonic jet are collisional shocks,
01:31 meaning they involve direct collisions between particles.
01:35 Near sea level, the Earth's atmosphere is dense enough
01:39 so that gas particles typically travel only about one hundred billionth of a meter
01:44 before colliding with another particle.
01:47 This is usually not the case in space.
01:50 In galaxy clusters, and in the solar wind,
01:53 streams of particles blown away from the Sun,
01:56 direct collisions between particles occur too rarely to produce shock waves
02:00 because the gas has incredibly low density.
02:04 For example, in galaxy clusters,
02:07 particles typically must travel about 30,000 to 50,000 light-years before colliding.
02:13 Instead, the shocks in these cosmic environments are collisionless
02:18 and are generated by interactions between charged particles and magnetic fields.
02:24 Collisionless shock waves are important in several other fields of research beyond astrophysics.
02:30 For example, the radiation produced by shocks in the solar wind
02:34 can negatively impact commercial and military spacecraft operation,
02:39 as well as the safety of humans in space.
02:42 This study shows a deep connection between some of the largest, most energetic events
02:48 and much smaller ones closer to home.
02:51 [music]