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
00:00Visit Chandra's beautiful universe.
00:05Able 2146.
00:10Galaxy clusters are among the largest structures in the universe,
00:14containing hundreds of galaxies and huge amounts of hot gas and dark matter.
00:19Sometimes these gigantic objects collide with one another,
00:23and when they do, they release enormous amounts of energy,
00:27unlike anything witnessed since the Big Bang.
00:30These galaxy cluster collisions also provide scientists with physics laboratories
00:35that are unavailable here on Earth.
00:38A new study of the galaxy cluster collision, known as Able 2146,
00:43uses a very long look, about 23 days' worth of observing time,
00:47from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.
00:51X-rays are particularly important in studying galaxy clusters
00:55because they detect the massive amounts of hot gas that fills the spaces between the galaxies themselves.
01:01When researchers analyzed the Chandra data of Able 2146,
01:06they found a shock wave that stretches for some 1.6 million miles.
01:11The shock wave, which is similar to a sonic boom created by a jet plane,
01:16was generated by the hot gas from one cluster pushing on the other.
01:22There is also a second shock wave detected behind the collision.
01:26Shock waves like those generated by a supersonic jet are collisional shocks,
01:31meaning they involve direct collisions between particles.
01:35Near sea level, the Earth's atmosphere is dense enough
01:39so that gas particles typically travel only about 100 billionth of a meter
01:44before colliding with another particle.
01:47This is usually not the case in space.
01:50In galaxy clusters and in the solar wind,
01:53streams of particles blown away from the Sun,
01:56direct collisions between particles occur too rarely to produce shock waves
02:00because the gas has incredibly low density.
02:04For example, in galaxy clusters,
02:07particles typically must travel about 30,000 to 50,000 light-years before colliding.
02:13Instead, the shocks in these cosmic environments are collisionless
02:18and are generated by interactions between charged particles and magnetic fields.
02:24Collisionless shock waves are important in several other fields of research beyond astrophysics.
02:30For example, the radiation produced by shocks in the solar wind
02:34can negatively impact commercial and military spacecraft operation,
02:39as well as the safety of humans in space.
02:43This study shows a deep connection between some of the largest, most energetic events
02:48and much smaller ones closer to home.