Don’t Cross The Streams! :

⁣Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as the Ghostbusters feared. Astronomers using @NASAChandraXray found a galaxy cluster that has two streams of superheated gas crossing one another, which may lead to the creation of new structure.⁣

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Researchers discovered an enormous, comet-like tail of hot gas — spanning over 1.6 million light-years long — trailing behind a galaxy within the galaxy cluster called Zwicky 8338 (Z8338 for short). As the galaxy hurtled through space, its tail split into two streams.⁣

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This is the second pair of tails trailing behind a galaxy in this system. Previously, astronomers discovered a shorter pair of tails from a different galaxy near this latest one. This newer and longer set of tails was only seen because of a deeper observation with Chandra that revealed the fainter X-rays.⁣

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Image description: This is a composite image of two pairs of hot gas tails found inside a single galaxy cluster. Mottled purple gas speckles a region of space dotted with distant flecks of red and white. Also present in this region of space are several glowing golden dots. These dots are individual galaxies that together form the cluster Zwicky 8338. To our right of center is a glowing golden galaxy with a mottled V shaped cloud of purple above it. Two arms of the V as tails trailing behind the hurtling galaxy below. To our left of center is another golden galaxy, this one surrounded by purple gas. Behind it, opening toward our right in the shape of a widening V lying on its side, are two more mottled purple clouds.⁣

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Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Xiamen Univ./C. Ge; Optical: DESI collaboration; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk⁣

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#NASA #Space #Astronomy #SpaceTelescope #Chandra #Xray #Ghostbusters

 [ INFORMATION DATA: 21 September 2024 ]