Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray telescope have discovered a galaxy cluster where superheated gas streams intersect. This could pave the way for the formation of a new structure.

The researchers detected a huge comet-shaped tail of hot gas, 1.6 million light-years long, behind a galaxy in the galaxy cluster called Zwicky 8338 (Z8338). As the galaxy travelled rapidly, this tail split into two separate streams.

This is the second recorded pair of tails emanating from a galaxy in the system. Previously, astronomers had discovered a shorter pair of tails emanating from another galaxy in the same region. However, this new, longer tail pair could only be recognised by deeper observations with the Chandra telescope, which revealed weaker X-rays.

Image description:

This is a composite image of two pairs of hot gas tails located inside a single galaxy cluster. The mottled purple gas punctuates a region of space with red and white speckles. There are also several golden dots glowing in this region of space. These dots are individual galaxies that together make up the Zwicky 8338 cluster. To the right of the centre is a glowing golden galaxy with a mottled V-shaped purple cloud above it. The two arms of the V stretch out in tails behind the hurtling galaxy below. To the left of the centre is another golden galaxy, also surrounded by purple gas. Behind it are two more variegated purple clouds that open out to our right in the shape of an expanding V tilted on its side.

 

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