Unique galaxy cluster discovered with intersecting hot gas streams

According to NASA, researchers have observed a giant comet-like tail of hot gas, more than 1.6 million light-years long, following a galaxy in the Zwicky 8338 galaxy cluster. This tail was formed when the galaxy moved through a cloud of hot gas, causing some of the gas in it to separate and form two streams.

Notably, this is the second pair of tails to appear after a galaxy in this system. Astronomers had previously observed a shorter pair of tails from another nearby galaxy. The new, longer tails were only discovered after deeper observations with Chandra, which makes fainter X-rays more apparent.

NASA said the discovery suggests that intersecting gas streams can lead to the formation of new structures in space. This opens up exciting questions about how galaxies interact and evolve in the universe.

According to Thanh Phuong/VNA