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X-ray and Optical Images of Abell 2142
Astronomers have used Chandra data to capture a dramatic image of an enormous tail of hot gas. This tail stretches for more than a million light years behind a group of galaxies that is falling into the depths of an even-larger cluster of galaxies. The left panel shows a wide-field view of the entire system while the right is a close-up view of the infalling galaxy group. In this composite, Chandra data (purple) have been combined with optical data (red, green, and blue). Discoveries like this help astronomers learn about the environment and conditions under which the Universe's biggest structures evolve.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Geneva, D. Eckert. Optical: SDSS provided by CDS through Aladin.)
Astronomers have used Chandra data to capture a dramatic image of an enormous tail of hot gas. This tail stretches for more than a million light years behind a group of galaxies that is falling into the depths of an even-larger cluster of galaxies. The left panel shows a wide-field view of the entire system while the right is a close-up view of the infalling galaxy group. In this composite, Chandra data (purple) have been combined with optical data (red, green, and blue). Discoveries like this help astronomers learn about the environment and conditions under which the Universe's biggest structures evolve.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Geneva, D. Eckert. Optical: SDSS provided by CDS through Aladin.)
Return to Abell 2142 (September 27, 2018)
Revised: November 29, 2022