NASA shock: The most massive object in the universe is forming before our very own eyes – Express.co.uk
NASA astronomers have detected the merger of four galactic clusters in deep space will give birth to one of the most massive objects in the universe.
NASA estimates the resulting mega-cluster will combine weights “several hundred trillion times” more than our Sun. The monstrous body will emerge from the collision of four galactic clusters about three billion light-years from Earth. Each cluster carries hundreds or thousands of galaxies of its own, suspended in a cloud of hot gas.
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Astronomers have dubbed the slowly emerging “mega-structure” Abell 1758.
NASA estimates the individual bodies in the collisions are moving at speeds of two to three million miles per hour.
The incredible discovery was made possible thanks to NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory space probe.
NASA said: “Astronomers using data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes have put together a detailed map of a rare collision between four galaxy clusters.
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NASA news: These four galactic clusters are merging into a mega-cluster (Image: NASA NASA/CXC/SAO/G.Schellenberger et al.;)
NASA news: The Chandra Observatory watches the universe in X-ray wavelenghts (Image: NASA/CXC & J VAUGHAN)
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“Eventually, all four clusters – each with a mass of at least several hundred trillion times that of the Sun – will merge to form one of the most massive objects in the universe.”
Galactic clusters are large groupings of individual galaxies bound together by their collective gravities and the gravity of dark matter.
The gravitational attraction also explains why clusters are suspended in a cloud of gas.
Galaxies will typically expel their stellar gases when stars erupt into supernovas.
Clusters hang onto these gases and are some of the largest known objects in the universe.
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In the particular case of Abell 1758, astronomers have detected four separate bodies colliding into two larger clusters.
All four clusters will merge to form one of the most massive objects in the universe
In time, the resulting two bodies will fall towards one another to produce an even bigger mega-structure.
NASA said: “Sometimes two galaxy clusters collide, as in the case of the Bullet Cluster, and occasionally more than two will collide at the same time.
“The new observations show a mega-structure being assembled in a system called Abell 1758, located about three billion light-years from Earth.
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“It contains two pairs of colliding galaxy clusters that are heading toward one another.
“Scientists first recognised Abell 1758 as a quadruple galaxy cluster system in 2004 using data from Chandra and XMM-Newton, a satellite operated by the European Space Agency (ESA).”
Chandra’s Observatory charts the universe in X-ray wavelengths instead of visible light.
In the above picture, the X-rays are seen in blue and white light.
1. NASA’s Chandra is the world’s most powerful X-ray observatory.
2. The space telescope was launched into orbit by a space shuttle.
3. Chandra can resolve the individual letters of a stop sign from 12 miles away.
4. The space telescope orbits the Earth 200 times higher than the Hubble Space Telescope.
5. Thanks to its X-ray capabilities, Chandra can peer through clouds of stellar gas that otherwise obscure hidden bodies.
