Abell 2597 is a
galaxy cluster
A galaxy cluster, or a cluster of galaxies, is a structure that consists of anywhere from hundreds to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity, with typical masses ranging from 1014 to 1015 solar masses. They are the second-l ...
located about a billion light years from Earth in the constellation of
Aquarius
Aquarius may refer to:
Astrology
* Aquarius (astrology), an astrological sign
* Age of Aquarius, a time period in the cycle of astrological ages
Astronomy
* Aquarius (constellation)
* Aquarius in Chinese astronomy
Arts and entertainment ...
. It is a giant elliptical galaxy that is surrounded by a sprawling cluster of other galaxies.
In 2018, the
National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) captured cosmic weather event using the
Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of 66 radio telescopes in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, which observe electromagnetic radiation at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. The arr ...
(ALMA) that has never been seen before - a cluster of towering intergalactic gas clouds raining in on the supermassive black hole at the center of the huge galaxy.
The black hole draws in vast store of cold molecular gas and sprays it back again in an ongoing cycle so that it resembles a gigantic fountain.
Gallery
ALMA and MUSE Detect Galactic Fountain.tif, Composite image showing the fountain-like flow of gas.
See also
*
Abell catalogue
The Abell catalog of rich clusters of galaxies is an all-sky catalog of 4,073 rich galaxy clusters of nominal redshift ''z'' ≤ 0.2. This catalog supplements a revision of George O. Abell's original "Northern Survey" of 1958, wh ...
*
Constellation of Aquarius
References
Galaxy clusters
Aquarius (constellation)
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