00:00Visit Chandra's Beautiful Universe.
00:05ABLE 2146
00:10Galaxy clusters are among the largest structures in the universe,
00:14containing hundreds of galaxies,
00:15and huge amounts of hot gas and dark matter.
00:19Sometimes,
00:20these gigantic objects collide with one another.
00:23And when they do,
00:24they release...
00:25enormous amounts of energy,
00:27unlike anything witnessed since the Big Bang.
00:30These galaxy cluster collisions
00:32also provide scientists with physics laboratories.
00:35that are unavailable here on Earth.
00:37A new study of the galaxy cluster...
00:40known as ABLE 2146
00:42uses a very long look,
00:44about...
00:4523 days' worth of observing time
00:47from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.
00:50X-rays are particularly important
00:52in studying galaxy clusters.
00:55because they detect the massive amounts of hot gas
00:57that fills the spaces between the galaxies...
01:00themselves...
01:01when researchers analyzed the Chandra data
01:03of ABLE 2146...
01:05they found a shock wave
01:07that stretches for some 1.6 million miles...
01:10the shock wave,
01:12which is similar to a sonic boom created...
01:15by a jet plane...
01:16was generated by the hot gas
01:18from one cluster pushing...
01:20on the other.
01:21There is also a second shock wave detected...
01:24behind the collision...
01:25shock waves like those generated by a supersonic jet...
01:30collisional shocks...
01:31meaning they involve...
01:32direct collisions between particles.
01:35near sea level...
01:37the Earth's atmosphere is dense enough...
01:39so that...
01:40gas particles typically travel...
01:42only about 100 billionth of a meter...
01:44before colliding...
01:45with another particle.
01:46This is usually not the case in space.
01:50In galaxy clusters...
01:52and in the solar wind...
01:53streams of particles blown away from...
01:55the Sun...
01:56direct collisions...
01:57between particles...
01:58occur too rarely...
01:59to produce shock waves...
02:00because the gas...
02:01has incredibly low density.
02:05for example...
02:06in galaxy clusters...
02:07particles typically must travel...
02:09about 30...
02:1050,000...
02:11to 50,000...
02:12light years...
02:13before colliding.
02:14Instead...
02:15the shocks...
02:15in these cosmic environments...
02:16are collisionless...
02:17and are generated by...
02:19interactions...
02:20between charged particles...
02:21and magnetic fields.
02:23Collisionless...
02:25shock waves are important...
02:26in several other fields...
02:27of research...
02:28beyond astrophysics.
02:30for example...
02:31the radiation...
02:32produced by shocks...
02:33in the solar wind...
02:34connects...
02:35effectively...
02:36impact...
02:37commercial...
02:38and military...
02:39spacecraft...
02:40operation...
02:41as well as...
02:40the safety of humans...
02:41in space.
02:42This study shows...
02:43a deep connection...
02:44between...
02:45some of the largest...
02:46most energetic...
02:47events...
02:48and much smaller ones...
02:49closer to home.
02:50the nature of this...
02:51can be used...
02:52the...
02:53can be used...
02:54in the Renaissance...
02:55You
03:00You
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