Astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to work out how an unusual radio structure formed inside a galaxy cluster. The structure is nicknamed the 'Treble Clef' because its curved outline closely resembles the musical symbol.
According to NASA, the most likely explanation has two stages. First, a supermassive black hole released a powerful outburst. Later, a collision involving the galaxy cluster disturbed the surrounding material and reshaped it into the clef-like form seen in radio observations.
Chandra's X-ray view of the cluster's hot gas lets researchers connect what radio telescopes see to the violent events behind it. The result shows how black hole activity and cluster mergers can work together to shape the largest structures in the universe.
