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Credit & Copyright: A. Fabian
(IoA Cambridge) et al.,
NASA
Explanation:
Large
clusters of galaxies
are the most massive objects in the universe.
Astronomers now realize that a hallmark of these cosmic behemoths
are gas clouds with temperatures of tens of millions of
degrees that
pervade the clusters and radiate
strongly in x-rays.
This
Chandra Observatory image
centered on a
radio galaxy cataloged as
3C294 indeed reveals the telltale
hot x-ray gas in an hourglass shaped
region surrounding the dominant galaxy and
shows the presence of a massive galaxy cluster in the
distant universe.
Here the picture is color-coded by x-ray energy, red for low, green
for medium, and blue for high energy x-rays.
The cluster associated with 3C294
is 10 billion light-years away making it the
most distant x-ray galaxy cluster
ever detected.
Objects at that extreme distance existed when the universe was
young, a mere 20 percent of its present age.
Impressively, this observation demonstrates that even at those early
times massive
clusters of galaxies were already present.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: cluster of galaxies - intracluster gas - 3c294
Publications with words: cluster of galaxies - intracluster gas - 3c294
See also: