A Note on the Perseus Cluster
Explanation:
A truly enormous collection of thousands of galaxies, the
Perseus Cluster - like other
large galaxy clusters - is
filled with hot, x-ray emitting gas.
The x-ray hot gas
(not the
individual galaxies) appears
in the left panel above, a false color
image
from the Chandra Observatory.
The bright central source flanked by two
dark cavities is
the cluster's supermassive black hole.
At right, the panel shows the
x-ray image
data specially processed
to enhance contrasts and reveals a strikingly regular
pattern of pressure waves
rippling through
the hot gas.
In other words,
sound
waves, likely generated by bursts of
activity from the black hole, are ringing through the
Perseus Galaxy Cluster.
Astronomers infer that these previously unknown sound waves are a
source of energy which keeps the cluster gas so hot.
So what note is the Perseus Cluster playing?
Estimates of the distance between the wave peaks and sound speed
in the cluster gas suggests
the cosmic note is about 57 octaves below B-flat above middle C.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
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NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
