250,000-Light-Year Long X-Ray Galactic Tail Spotted
- 8 years ago
An X-ray tail of glowing, blue gas follows dutifully behind a galaxy charging through a massive cloud of hot intergalactic gas.
A composite image from NASA shows a stunning blue streak of hot gas spilling out behind a galaxy like a ribbon in cosmic flight.
According to the space agency, "This ribbon, or X-ray tail, is likely due to gas stripped from the galaxy as it moves through a vast cloud of hot intergalactic gas. With a length of at least 250,000 light years, it is likely the largest such tail ever detected."
Billowing through the black of space, the ribbon is said to contain gas in the area of tens of millions of degrees. Such gas, though not the hottest substance in the universe, still burns at a temperature high enough to produce the tail's blue glow.
A composite image from NASA shows a stunning blue streak of hot gas spilling out behind a galaxy like a ribbon in cosmic flight.
According to the space agency, "This ribbon, or X-ray tail, is likely due to gas stripped from the galaxy as it moves through a vast cloud of hot intergalactic gas. With a length of at least 250,000 light years, it is likely the largest such tail ever detected."
Billowing through the black of space, the ribbon is said to contain gas in the area of tens of millions of degrees. Such gas, though not the hottest substance in the universe, still burns at a temperature high enough to produce the tail's blue glow.