Abell 2597 s Cosmic Cavities
Explanation:
Typical of large galaxy clusters
billions of
light-years away,
Abell 2597 features hundreds of galaxies
embedded in a cloud
of multimillion degree gas which glows in x-rays.
This
Chandra Observatory
x-ray
image shows the hot gas in this
cluster's central regions and also reveals two large dark cavities
within the x-ray glow; one below and right of center, the other
above and left.
Not a comment on dental health,
Abell 2597's cavities
are about 60,000 light-years across.
They are thought to be
remnants of a 100 million year old explosion originating
from a supermassive black hole at the cluster's core.
But the dim
ghost
cavities are not completely
empty or they would have collapsed long ago.
Instead they are likely filled with hotter gas, high energy particles,
and magnetic fields and are moving away from the cluster center,
like bubbles rising in champagne.
Over the life of
a galaxy cluster such explosions may happen
over and over, creating a series of cavities which
transport
magnetic fields away from the cluster center.
In fact,
radio observations
suggest another explosion has
since occurred in the center of Abell 2597.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
