Comments on: Galaxy cluster collision makes a splash… a million light years long!

By: Warren

Warren — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:56:48 +0000

In your book, DEATH FROM THE SKYS you mentioned that when two galaxies collide the mass of the BLAK HOLES in the center of each galaxy merge to become one supermassive black hole. Example: your book says the MILKY WAY blackhole mass is that of 4million suns and Andromeda’s is 30 million syuns. When they merge the new BLACK HOLE mass equals 34 million suns. Since there are trillions of black holes in thes galaxy clusters, won’t there be a significant chance that a monumental monster black hole will.

By: eBookitude » Blog Archive » Bad Astronomy

eBookitude » Blog Archive » Bad Astronomy — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 01:49:34 +0000

[...] cluster collision makes a splash…A million light years long! The full article can be found here. When I read it my thoughts turned to the posibility that life like ours on two different galaxies [...]

By: Joseph G

Joseph G — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 03:02:55 +0000

@ Downer: Wow. That’s what I was wondering – is this thing dense enough to be a sort of super-galaxy?
I wonder if there’s a mass limit to galaxies, for that matter…

By: Anthony

Anthony — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:27:00 +0000

How long until we make contact with an advanced civilisation running from this?

By: Downer

Downer — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:52:15 +0000

@Joseph G
That tail is at least 10 times longer than the diameter of the Milky Way. Yet the total mass of these two clusters is 10,000 times greater than the Milky Way. I guess the reason you can’t see individual galaxies is because matter is too tightly packed in the center, which in turn has smeared galactic structures to oblivion when it stretched out the other cluster. The density of gas is still so huge the whole structure is, judging from the blue color, a ginormously humongous stellar nursery.

If I’m totally off here, somebody please correct me.

By: DanO

DanO — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:45:11 +0000

Phil, or anyone else here who can answer my query. When you say the gas is 30 million degrees, does that mean that the atoms and/or molecules are VIBRATING at 30 M degress or are they moving at a speed that equates to 30 M degrees? My understanding of how to measure temerature of a gas outside of a container is lacking, so I’d appreciate if someone here could explain it to me.

Thanks in advance.

By: Darrin

Darrin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:03:24 +0000

@David

Relax, man. 4Chan may be a wretched hive of scum and villainy, but animal abuse is the one thing NO ONE there tolerates. Gore and porn? Fair game. But post a video of abusing an animal? God help you. They’ll unleash internet justice. Hard.

Besides, most memes start on Reddit or 4chan. “Forever Alone” is by no means an obscure meme, it’s quite well-known. Not to mention that Phil is a citizen of the interwebs, and so is most of his readership. Thus, there is absolutely nothing wrong with making what equates to an internet in-joke from time to time.

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:46:55 +0000

@ Joseph G (19) -
If I have understood correctly, the blue stuff is the X-ray glow from gas that has been smashed or drawn out of some of the galaxies.

It is, apparently, very very hot.

By: Serendip

Serendip — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:31:19 +0000

Wow! A truly cosmic dance if ever there was one! How long will this phenomenon last?

By: Joseph G

Joseph G — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:54:25 +0000

I’m still not sure exactly what I’m looking at. Is this the entirety of the two clusters, or a close-up? Is the blue stuff all intracluster gas, or are we seeing individual galaxies?
Are galaxies in these clusters more closely packed then the galaxies in our local group?