Astronomers have identified the origin of a radio wave formation nicknamed the Treble Clef, located behind the Milky Way. The study, led by Andrea Botteon of the National Institute for Astrophysics, was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the German eROSITA telescope revealed that the structure resides within a galaxy cluster. Observations indicate that this cluster consists of two merging galaxy clusters containing hot gas.
The formation process occurred in two stages. Initially, a supermassive black hole ejected charged particles and magnetic fields. Subsequently, a collision between the two galaxy clusters compressed and reenergized these particles, creating the observed radio wave structure.
Researchers utilized a technique to isolate non-symmetrical X-ray emissions from the cluster. The results suggest the collision took place along a left-right axis, with the clusters currently moving apart after an impact that occurred several hundred million years ago.
