Astronomers have Marathi Archivesspotted 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.
Episode 4: The Wave of the Future
Shares of China’s Xpeng surge after 30,000+ orders for new P7+ sedan · TechNode
Samsung joins TSMC to halt supply of sub
ByteDance recruits Alibaba's large model leader amid dispute · TechNode
Time to Unite
ByteDance recruits Alibaba's large model leader amid dispute · TechNode
Baidu to Launch AI
China and EU nearing agreement on import tariffs on Chinese EVs: report · TechNode
The fat bears are already extremely fat
General Motors says its China business is on a recovery path · TechNode
Best robot vacuum deal: Get the Roborock Q5 Max for 53% off at Amazon
Huawei Mate70 series hits two million reservations in two days · TechNode
Toyota unit Hino launches new fully
Shares of China’s Xpeng surge after 30,000+ orders for new P7+ sedan · TechNode
Robin Triumphant
Mate 70 series features 100% domestically produced chips: Huawei exec · TechNode
China and EU nearing agreement on import tariffs on Chinese EVs: report · TechNode
Toyota unit Hino launches new fully
How to Settle Down with Dystopia
Huawei ramps up Mate 70 series production for November launch: report · TechNode
Staff Picks: Night Skies, B Sides, and Neon Lights by The Paris ReviewStaff Picks: Blood, Bach, and Babel by The Paris ReviewA Tree Is a Relative, a Cousin by The Paris ReviewThe Now by Lucy SanteStaff Picks: Haiku, Hearts, and Homes by The Paris ReviewStaff Picks: Rats, Rereaders, and Radio Towers by The Paris ReviewRedux: Sightseer in Oblivion by The Paris ReviewRedux: SelfA Tree Is a Relative, a Cousin by The Paris ReviewWhen Waking Begins by Haytham El WardanyStaff Picks: Memorials, Maps, and Machines by The Paris ReviewStaff Picks: Memorials, Maps, and Machines by The Paris ReviewRedux: August’s Wilt by The Paris ReviewNotes on Notes by Mary CappelloScenes from a Favela by The Paris ReviewStaff Picks: Billboards, Bookstores, and Butler by The Paris ReviewPainting with a Moth’s Wing by The Paris ReviewThe Messiness of the Suburban NarrativeAt the Ends of the Earth by Jenny ErpenbeckHow to Read the Air by Anna Badkhen No, these pictures are not from the recent racist rally in Charlottesville Trump just gave the most insane press conference about Charlottesville iPhone 12 production might be affected by power chip shortage Very excited dad nails insane frisbee golf shot. Son doesn't care. Guo Pei's costumes are the superstars of Netflix's 'Over the Moon' Verified 'Elon Musk' Twitter account celebrates election with crypto scam Can you name the 3 branches of government? This meme offers up some, uh, creative answers. Extremely excited pup just can't wait to catch the bus to doggy school The Lincoln Project is giving liberals something no one else can Internet vigilantes are naming and shaming the Charlottesville white supremacists MacBook Pro and Air with Apple's new chips are launching next week, report claims Facebook closes dumb election loophole, but won't stop Trump's lies from spreading Key & Peele, four other Comedy Central hits come to HBO Max on Nov. 1 Little girl's first 'magic trick' fools no one but the dog This guy's amazing Tinder profile is a PowerPoint sales pitch Donald Trump’s teleprompter is back from vacation to denounce racism Apple to hold another event on November 10 Tesla's 'Full Self University apparel emblazoned with 'CUM' is a chaotic internet mystery Watch a great white shark jump out of the water and steal a fisherman's catch
2.1609s , 10132.125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Marathi Archives】,Miracle Information Network