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XMM-Newton spots the greatest of great balls of fire
June 13, 2006Thanks to data from ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray satellite, a team of international scientists found a comet-like ball of gas over a thousand million times the mass of the sun hurling through a distant galaxy cluster over 750 kilometres per second.
This colossal 'ball of fire' is by far the largest object of this kind ever identified.
The gas ball is about three million light years across, or about five thousand million times the size of our solar system. It appears from our perspective as a circular X-ray glow with a comet-like tail nearly half the size of the moon.
The gas ball is in a galaxy cluster called Abell 3266, millions of light years from Earth, thus posing absolutely no danger to our solar system. Abell 3266 contains hundreds of galaxies and great amounts of hot gas that is nearly a hundred million degrees. Both the cluster gas and the giant gas ball are held together by the gravitational attraction of unseen dark matter.
"What interests astronomers is not just the size of the gas ball but the role it plays in the formation and evolution of structure in the universe," said Dr Francesco Miniati, who worked on this data at UMBC while visiting from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland.
Abell cluster 3266 is part of the Horologium-Reticulum super-cluster and is one of the most massive galaxy clusters in the southern sky. It is still actively growing in size, as indicated by the gas ball, and will become one of the largest mass concentrations in the nearby universe.
Using XMM-Newton data, the science team produced an entropy map (entropy is a thermodynamical property that provides a measure of disorder). The map allows for the separation of the cold and dense gas of the comet from the hotter and more rarefied gas of the cluster. This is based on X-ray spectra. The data show with remarkable detail the process of gas being stripped from the comet's core and forming a large tail containing lumps of colder and denser gas. The researchers estimate that a sun's worth of mass is lost every hour.
"In Abell 3266 we are seeing structure formation in action," said Prof. Mark Henriksen (UMBC), co-author of the results. "Dark matter is the gravitational glue holding the gas ball together. But as it races through the galaxy cluster, a tug-of-war ensues where the galaxy cluster eventually wins, stripping off and dispersing gas that perhaps one day will seed star and galaxy growth within the cluster."
European Space Agency
Galaxy Cluster Current Events and Galaxy Cluster News RSSRapid star formation spotted in 'stellar nurseries' of infant galaxies
The Universe's infant galaxies enjoyed rapid growth spurts forming stars like our sun at a rate of up to 50 stars a year, according to scientists at Durham University.
Shedding light on the cosmic skeleton
"Matter is not distributed uniformly in the Universe," says Masayuki Tanaka from ESO, who led the new study. "In our cosmic vicinity, stars form in galaxies and galaxies usually form groups and clusters of galaxies. The most widely accepted cosmological theories predict that matter also clumps on a larger scale in the so-called 'cosmic web', in which galaxies, embedded in filaments stretching between voids, create a gigantic wispy structure."
Galaxy cluster smashes distance record
The most distant galaxy cluster yet has been discovered by combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and optical and infrared telescopes.
Stripped down: Hubble highlights 2 galaxies that are losing it
Ram pressure is the drag force that results when something moves through a fluid - much like the wind you feel in your face when bicycling, even on a still day - and occurs in this context as galaxies orbiting about the centre of the cluster move through the intra-cluster medium, which then sweeps out gas from within the galaxies.
Turbulence responsible for black holes' balancing act
We live in a hierarchical Universe where small structures join into larger ones. Earth is a planet in our Solar System, the Solar System resides in the Milky Way Galaxy, and galaxies combine into groups and clusters.
Galaxies coming of age in cosmic blobs
The "coming of age" of galaxies and black holes has been pinpointed, thanks to new data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes.
Ghost Remains After Black Hole Eruption
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has found a cosmic "ghost" lurking around a distant supermassive black hole. This is the first detection of such a high-energy apparition, and scientists think it is evidence of a huge eruption produced by the black hole.
Suzaku Snaps First Complete X-ray View of a Galaxy Cluster
The joint Japan-U.S. Suzaku mission is providing new insight into how assemblages of thousands of galaxies pull themselves together.
Giant Galaxy Messier 87 finally sized up
Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have succeeded in measuring the size of giant galaxy Messier 87 and were surprised to find that its outer parts have been stripped away by still unknown effects.
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope provides new evidence for dark matter around small galaxies
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a strong new line of evidence that galaxies are embedded in halos of dark matter.
More Galaxy Cluster Current Events and Galaxy Cluster News Articles
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Galaxy Formation (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library) by Malcolm S. Longair (Author) Accounting for the enormous and amazing development cosmology has made in the past ten years, this long awaited second edition of Malcolm Longair's highly appreciated textbook has been extensively and thoroughly updated. |
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Coma Cluster of Galaxies Art Photographic Poster Print by Stocktrek Images, 32x24 by AllPosters.com AllPosters.com is the world's #1 seller of posters, prints, photographs, specialty products and framed art. We're dedicated to bringing our customers the best selection of high quality wall décor that is perfect for their home or office. Browse our catalog of over 300,000 items that include entertainment and specialty posters, decorative prints, and art reproductions. Whether you're looking for your favorite movie or music poster, a framed Monet reproduction, or a print of the Eiffel Tower you will find it at AllPosters.com. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/allposters to find Special Offers and search by subject category or artist. AllPosters.com provides unmatched service with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
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Bond Also With: Gen Fukunaga (Producer), Cindy Brennan Fukunaga (Producer), Daniel Cocanougher (Producer), Barry Watson (Producer) |
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Galaxies by Seymour Simon (Author) This close-up look at our own Milky Way and other enormous clusters of stars describes the many different types of galaxies, how they were formed, and how they got their different shapes. "A dazzling photo-essay."--School Library Journal. |
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Beautiful Galaxy Cluster NASA Space Mouse Pad by BuyCrazyShit.com Cosmic Heavyweights in Free-for-All Mouse Pad The most crowded collision of galaxy clusters has been identified by combining information from three different telescopes. This result gives scientists a chance to learn what happens when some of the largest objects in the universe go at each other in a cosmic free-for-all. Using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, astronomers were able to determine the three-dimensional geometry and motion in the system MACSJ0717.5+3745 (or MACSJ0717 for short) located about 5.4 billion light years from Earth. The researchers found that four separate galaxy clusters are involved in a triple merger, the first time such a phenomenon has been documented. Galaxy clusters are the... |
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Celestron C-11 A (XLT) Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical Tube - 91067 by CSN Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain Optical Tube Assemblies (OTA) are available individually to be used with your favorite mount. Each OTA is made to the same exacting standards as those used on all their high quality telescopes. All optical surfaces are coated with StarBright XLT coatings. These tube assemblies are equipped with the same dovetail mounting bar as used on the CGE series for easy attachment to a variety of popular mounts. |
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Galaxies and How to Observe Them (Astronomers' Observing Guides) by Wolfgang Steinicke (Author), Richard Jakiel (Author) Galaxies are perhaps the most popular of all visual targets that are sought after by visual observers. At present the only way to get up-to-date information, is to query various (often highly technical) speciality books or digging deeply into the Internet. This can be a time consuming and often frustrating task, as the data aren’t often compatible. This book satisfies the need for a modern, comprehensive review in combining the three major aspects: the physical background on the nature and data of galaxies, the relevant instrumentation and viewing techniques, and finally the targets and their individual appearance in telescopes of various apertures. To illustrate the latter, a comprehensive sample of galaxies, including quasars, groups and clusters of galaxies is presented. This... |
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Star Clusters and How to Observe Them (Astronomers' Observing Guides) by Mark Allison (Author) ASTRONOMERS’ OBSERVING GUIDES provide up-to-date information for amateur astronomers who want to know all about what it is they are observing. This is the basis of the first part of the book. The second part details observing techniques for practical astronomers, working with a range of different instruments. Star Clusters and How to Observe Them is a mine of information for all levels of amateur observers, from beginners to experienced observers. It begins with a detailed yet easily assimilated description of star clusters, how they were formed as our Milky Way galaxy evolved, and how they are classified. The latest research has revealed a vast amount of fascinating information about the clusters, along with some spectacular photographs. Modern... |
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