Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton; Optical: ESO/VLT

This image shows Abell 2052 in a composite of data with X-rays from Chandra (blue) and optical data from the VLT (gold). A huge spiral structure in the hot gas spanning almost a million light years is seen around the outside of the image. This spiral was created when a small cluster of galaxies smashed into a larger one that surrounds the central elliptical galaxy. The collision caused the hot gas in the cluster to be "sloshed" back and forth, similar to wine sloshing in a glass that was jerked sideways. This sloshing has important effects including impacting how the giant elliptical galaxy and its supermassive black hole grow.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2011/a2052/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html