Perseus Cluster Waves

Astronomers find giant wave rolling through the Perseus Galaxy cluster, about twice the size of our own Milky Way galaxy.

Spanning some 200,000 light-years, the cosmic swirl and slosh of giant waves, this X-ray image captured by Chandra Observatory.

The astronomers say the wave formed billions of years ago, after a small galaxy cluster grazed Perseus and caused its vast supply of gas to slosh around an enormous volume of space.

Above image credit NASA, CXC, GSFC, Stephen Walker, et al.

Lead scientist Stephen Walker at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said:

“Perseus is one of the most massive nearby clusters and the brightest one in X-rays, so Chandra data provide us with unparalleled detail. The wave we’ve identified is associated with the flyby of a smaller cluster, which shows that the merger activity that produced these giant structures is still ongoing.”

source NASA