Gigantic fireball spotted on galactic rampage

Quote:

Astronomers have identified a massive comet-like structure - spanning a whopping three million light years - that is tearing through a distant galaxy cluster at more than 750 kilometres a second.

Yes, you read that right. A great ball of fiery gas*, some five thousand million times the size of the solar system. Fortunately, it isn't anywhere near Earth. The flaming gas-ball is in the Abell 3266 galaxy cluster, even more millions of light years away from us than it is across.

The fireball, which is the largest object of this kind ever identified, was spotted by stargazers using the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-Ray telescope.

The researchers have produced an entropy map of the gas-ball, which allows them to pick out the relatively cold dense gas of the comet from the hotter gas of the galaxy cluster. Analysis of the data has revealed remarkable detail of the stripping of gas from the comet's core, ESA says, at a rate of about a Sun's mass, every hour.

The scientists who discovered the object describe it as "truly fantastic".
"In Abell 3266 we are seeing structure formation in action," said Professor Mark Henriksen, co-author of the results. "Dark matter is the gravitational glue holding the gas ball together. But as it races through the galaxy cluster, a tug-of-war ensues where the galaxy cluster eventually wins, stripping off and dispersing gas that perhaps one day will seed star and galaxy growth within the cluster."

Zurich-based researcher Dr. Francesco Miniati commented: "What interests astronomers is not just the size of the gas ball but the role it plays in the formation and evolution of structure in the universe."


Source

Holy grandmother on a stick, I never knew this was even possible. Seems we still have alot to learn cause this thing is motherfucking HUGE. Is there anyone on the forum studying the mysteries of the cosmos by coincidence? I'd love to know the reason how this monstrous creation was ever made cause the closest thing I can come up with is a super nova, but I'm sure even that isn't as large as this one right? I guess this is a good example of showing how unbelievably huge the universe really is.

If we ever get to explore space personally and have the power of faster than light travel, then I wonder how we're going to defend against a phenomena like this cause it has the power to wipe the universe clean with ease. With those lightdrives we will be able to outrun it ofcourse but moving all the time would be crazy if this phenomena occurs quite frequently, not to mention time of travel it would cost to just get out of the way.
It would be fun if this would turn out to be some kind of alien weapon of mass destruction


What do you think of this crazy space contraption? Discuss.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Lol @ Final Reality

Quote:

"Dark matter is the gravitational glue holding the gas ball together. But as it races through the galaxy cluster, a tug-of-war ensues where the galaxy cluster eventually wins, stripping off and dispersing gas that perhaps one day will seed star and galaxy growth within the cluster."

Ain't dark matter the same thing that exists in black holes? Maybe it was born from something like this.
For some reason I think this is just a small thing, maybe there are even more insane phenomena's in size to be discovered

How ya doing, buddy?