Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery, identifying a massive filament of hot gas connecting four galaxy clusters. The filament, which is 10 times the mass of our Milky Way, could potentially account for some of the Universe’s ‘missing’ matter. This finding marks a significant milestone in addressing a long-standing cosmic mystery and provides insights into the elusive components of our Universe.
The discovery was made possible by the collaborative efforts of two powerful X-ray space telescopes, the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton and JAXA’s Suzaku. The filament, with a temperature exceeding 10 million degrees, extends for 23 million light-years, connecting four galaxy clusters within the Shapley Supercluster. By combining data from these telescopes, researchers were able to isolate the light from the filament, removing cosmic contaminants such as supermassive black holes.
This remarkable finding sheds light on the intricate structure of the cosmic web, a vast, invisible network of filaments that forms the backbone of the Universe. The discovery highlights how galaxy clusters are interconnected across colossal distances and exemplifies the successful collaboration between telescopes. The research not only reinforces our standard cosmological model but also validates decades of simulations, suggesting that the ‘missing’ matter is indeed woven into these elusive threads.
The discovery of this colossal filament is just the beginning of a new era of cosmic exploration. The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission, launched in 2023, aims to map the cosmic web’s structure and history, delving into the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which together constitute an astonishing 95% of the Universe.
Source: https://www.sustainability-times.com/research/we-never-thought-it-could-be-this-huge-astronomers-stunned-by-10-milky-way-sized-gas-thread-connecting-distant-galaxies