Astronomers have Oil Massage With Naked Bodyspotted a pair of exotic features believed to be the aftermath of a colossal cosmic smackdown — not between two galaxies, but two groupsof galaxies.
These glowing arcs of radio energy are known as "radio relics," faint clouds resulting from powerful shockwaves surging through hot gas that fills the spaceamid a galaxy cluster.
The cluster, PSZ2 G181.06+48.47, is some 963 million light-yearsfrom Earth, but its image is less forgettable than its name. Using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope in India and the Very Large Array in New Mexico, a team of researchers spotted the arcs flanking the cluster like giant parentheses. The distance between the punctuation is an estimated 11 million light-years — about 100 times the span of the Milky Way.
That makes their separation a record holder — "the largest known to date," according to a paperpublished on the discovery in The Astrophysical Journal.
SEE ALSO: What cracked the Milky Way's giant cosmic bone? Scientists think they know.
An annotated view of a galaxy cluster reveals a rare pair of radio relics. Credit: Kamlesh Rajpurohit et al / https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/adbbb9 Galaxies are often part of larger collections of galaxies, held together by gravity, according to NASA. These groups and clusters, containing hundreds to thousands of galactic neighborhoods, serve as building blocks for the larger structures of the universe. Clusters are also composed of scorching gas that reaches millions of degrees as well as dark matter, an invisible material that scientists don't yet fully understand.
The team, led by Kamlesh Rajpurohit, an astronomer at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, thinks the newfound radio relics formed when shock fronts sped through space following two clusters wrecking. These waves can force particles to shine in radio light.
Though these two come as a pair, they're not identical twins. The researchers describe the northernmost glow as brighter and polarized, meaning its light is moving in the same direction. Its companion to the south has a stranger ghostly shape and an energy pattern that may mean it was caused by a more powerful shockwave.
Using an enormous telescope in India and the Very Large Array in New Mexico, pictured above, a team of researchers spotted the arcs flanking the cluster like giant parentheses. Credit: Bettymaya Foott / NRAO / AUI / NSF The relics suggest the entire cluster is in the final throes of a merger set in motion a billion years before.
In the past, astronomers have dubbed clusters fun nicknames based on the shapes of their relics, such as the Toothbrush Cluster. Perhaps in the future this one will leave behind its numerical moniker for something a bit snazzier, like the Eyebrows Cluster or the Air Quotes Cluster. Until that time, you can call it Planck cluster G181+48 for short, Rajpurohit said.
Scientists discovered one other curiosity between the relics: a faint glow at the center of the cluster. This could be a so-called "radio halo," another kind of radio source that emerges when churning gas and particles create turbulence after a violent cosmic crash.
Astronomers have previously detected less than 30 such clusters with relic pairs. But the upcoming Square Kilometre Array being built in South Africa and Australia could be a "game changer," according to the paper's authors.
"There could potentially be many more awaiting discovery in the era of large radio surveys," they said.
UPDATE: May. 7, 2025, 10:55 a.m. EDT This story has been updated to include additional data from the paper's author on the estimated distance of the galaxy cluster from Earth.
Astronomers saw one galaxy impale another. The damage was an eye
Transgender activist trolls the Texas Governor and it feels so, so good
20 years later, Rainn Wilson in 'Almost Famous' is still a hidden gem
Fire experts: Western wildfires are ‘unreal’
The Sound and the “Furious”
Diana Rigg, best known for 'Game of Thrones' & 'The Avengers', has died
Ubisoft's Immortals uses a Zelda blueprint for a Greek myth adventure
Frances McDormand is brilliant in tender, thoughtful 'Nomadland'
The Mismeasure of Media
10 years later, (a tiny bit of) 'Degrassi' money is still rolling in for Drake
Best robot vacuum deal: Save $140 on roborock Q7 Max Robot Vacuum
Trump's 'Made in America' week is already failing and it's not even Tuesday
Artificial sweeteners don't help with weight loss after all
I'm Ed Sheeran and you can all go to hell
Ryzen 5 1600X vs. 1600: Which should you buy?
Sony to launch new flagship smartphone next week
Nvidia makes record
Very good dog jumps into water and rescues baby deer from drowning
Exceptionally rare radio sources detected in the distant universe
Next Google Nest thermostat might support motion control, like Pixel 4
It doesn't have to be assault to be bad, Morgan FreemanHow to watch the 2022 NFL playoffs without cableThe essential thing to know about NASA and NOAA's global warming newsAriana Grande and Pete Davidson are uh, casually dating, I guessHow to watch the 2022 NFL playoffs without cableWordle knockoff app charges huge subscription feesHBO Max's 'Landscapers' review: Making theatre of true crimeTesla removes all hints about Cybertruck timing from websiteA lot of people are actually naming their kids after Marvel charactersTesla removes all hints about Cybertruck timing from websiteAnd just like that, 'Sex and the City' made a mess of DiwaliLGBTQ candidates won big last night. They're just getting started.OnePlus 10 Pro is launching in China on January 13The key to union organizing: Tech workers in warehouses and offices joining togetherPrepare to sob at these moving stories of people travelling home for Ireland's abortion votePlease enjoy this Instagram account that hilariously reimagines your favorite album coversYanny or Laurel is an eyebrow trend now and please lord make it stop'Station Eleven,' COVID'Station Eleven,' COVIDYanny or Laurel is an eyebrow trend now and please lord make it stop WWDC 2025 rumor: MacOS Tahoe might run on fewer Macs than expected All the biggest reveals from IGN Live 2025, so far Xbox's rumored handheld console is real and it's called ROG Xbox Ally The Best CPU & GPU Purchases of 2017 Save up to 50% on Amazon's best books of 2025 One of the best Nintendo Switch 2 launch games is just $15 Take advantage of Xbox Streaming and Game DVR in Windows 10 How to unblock Pornhub for free Best tablet deal: Save $170 on Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ Three Apps to Combine All Your Messaging Clients Into One Best headphones deal: Save 25% on the Sony XM5 headphones 7 Samsung Galaxy S25 settings you should change ASAP Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni: $300 off at Amazon iOS 26 gives Apple Maps a new look and 'Visited Places' tool Apple updates CarPlay with widgets and Liquid Glass Apple's iOS 26 gets a big 'Liquid Glass' redesign Following Meta and X, YouTube backs off moderating egregious content Today's Hurdle hints and answers for June 9, 2025 Top 10 Best MMOs NASA orbiter saw something astonishing peek through Martian clouds
2.1341s , 10132.2265625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Oil Massage With Naked Body】,Wisdom Convergence Information Network