NEW MEXICO Far away from Earth, the ongoing collision of dense galaxy clusters is creating a stunning show of radio waves.
For the benefit of human eyes, which cant detect radio waves, researchers made a true color radio image of the region using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in New Mexico. A mysterious phenomena is being produced by the collision, according to The National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
"The image reveals details of the interactions between the two merging clusters and suggests that previously unexpected physical processes are at work in such encounters," researcher Frazer Owen said in a statement.
Some of the unusual features in the image have been nicknamed Large Relic, Halo and Long Tail. There are hundreds of galaxies colliding in the distant Abell 2256 region, according to the observatory. It is about 4 million light-years across, with the image encompassing an area in the sky almost as large as the full moon.
In the image, longer radio waves are represented in red while shorter waves are shown in blue. Researchers said this follows the pattern of how we see visible light.
For the benefit of human eyes, which cant detect radio waves, researchers made a true color radio image of the region using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in New Mexico. A mysterious phenomena is being produced by the collision, according to The National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
"The image reveals details of the interactions between the two merging clusters and suggests that previously unexpected physical processes are at work in such encounters," researcher Frazer Owen said in a statement.
Some of the unusual features in the image have been nicknamed Large Relic, Halo and Long Tail. There are hundreds of galaxies colliding in the distant Abell 2256 region, according to the observatory. It is about 4 million light-years across, with the image encompassing an area in the sky almost as large as the full moon.
In the image, longer radio waves are represented in red while shorter waves are shown in blue. Researchers said this follows the pattern of how we see visible light.