More Images: Chandra Catches Slingshot During Collision
X-ray, Radio, & Optical/Infrared Images of Abell 1775
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Leiden Univ./A. Botteon et al.; Radio: LOFAR/ASTRON; Optical/IR:PanSTARRS
X-ray Field
of View
(Labeled)
Jpeg, Tif
These images of the galaxy cluster Abell 1775 show X-rays from Chandra, optical data from the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii, and radio data from the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) in the Netherlands. A tail from the merged cluster is seen, along with a region of gas with a curved edge, called a "cold front", that is denser and cooler than the gas it is plowing into (see labeled version). The tail and the cold front all curve in the same direction, creating a spiral appearance. These features are the result of two galaxy clusters — the largest structures held together by gravity — crashing into one another, one of the most energetic events in the Universe..
Return to: Chandra Catches Slingshot During Collision
(July 15, 2021)