For decades, astronomers have dubbed the galaxy cluster Abell 2029 as\none of the universe\u2019s most tranquil places. Nestled in the Virgo\nconstellation, the giant galaxy city appears calm from the outside. Yet\nnew observations from NASA\u2019s Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal the\ncluster\u2019s interior remains unsettled by an ancient cosmic collision.<\/p>\n
The cluster is among the largest, housing more than a thousand\ngalaxies bound by gravity and enshrouded by superheated gas. At its\ncentre lies IC 1101, a colossal elliptical galaxy spanning almost six\nmillion light-years, making it one of the largest galaxies known.<\/p>\n
Since the 1990s, scientists have considered Abell 2029 to be\nexceptionally placid. In fact, two studies in 2025 using the XRISM\nobservatory showed extremely low turbulence in the gas there. However, a\nthird XRISM study begins to detect pockets of cooler gas in the\ncluster\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Now, the latest data from the Chandra telescope provide fresh\nevidence about this dark history. Using 21 new observations gathered in\n2022 and 2023 along with archival data, the research team mapped a\nhidden giant structure. One of the most spectacular findings is a giant\nspiral structure produced by \u2018sloshing\u2019 extending nearly 2 million\nlight-years from the cluster\u2019s centre.<\/p>\n
\u2018Overall, our results indicate A2029 is still stabilising after past\ninteractions,\u2019 wrote the team led by astrophysicist Courtney Watson of\nBoston University in a paper published December 2025 in The\nAstrophysical Journal. \u2018This shows that even clusters that initially\nappeared the calmest can conceal a rich history of dynamical\nactivity.\u2019<\/p>\n
Through computer simulations, scientists estimate that the spiral\nstructure, shock waves, and basin-like depressions in Abell 2029 formed\nwhen a smaller galaxy cluster collided with it about 4 billion years\nago. The collision caused the superheated gas to churn and swirl within\nthe gravitational field, much like wine being swirled in a glass.<\/p>\n
These massive shocks play a crucial role in redistributing heat\nthroughout the cluster\u2019s gas. For years, scientists had thought gas\nheating was driven solely by energy from the actively accreting\nsupermassive black hole at the centre of IC 1101. But these findings\nshow that black hole activity alone is not enough, and the relics of the\nancient collision play a major role in keeping the gas from cooling too\nquickly.<\/p>\n
Based on analyses involving the European Space Agency and\ninternational observatories, the primary black hole in the system has a\nmass of about 18 billion solar masses.<\/p>\n
More recent research suggests Theia, the colossal body that collided\nwith Earth to form the Moon, may have originated from within the Solar\nSystem and once been Earth\u2019s \u2018neighbour\u2019.<\/p>\n
The blast originates from WSB 52, where a jet blast at high speed\nstrikes the surrounding gas, forming a large ball of hot, pressurised\nmaterial.<\/p>\n
ALMA succeeded in mapping the internal structure of the early galaxy\nand provided evidence for the formation of a galactic disc as well as\nremnants of cosmic collisions in the early universe.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-secret-of-abell-2029-the-calmest-galaxy-cluster-that-harbours-a-colossal-cosmic-collision-1779542775", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }