Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2022 May 29
Video Credit: IllustrisTNG Project; Visualization: Dylan Nelson (Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics) et al.
Music: Symphony No. 5 (Ludwig van Beethoven), via YouTube Audio Library
How do clusters of galaxies form? Since our universe is too slow to watch, computer simulations are created to help find out. IllustrisTNG is an upgrade of the famous Illustris Simulation. The first part of the featured video tracks the evolution of the gas as it moves from the early universe to the present day. Black holes form in galaxy centers and expel surrounding gas at high speeds as the universe matures. The second half of the video shows a galaxy cluster coming together complete with tidal tail s and stellar streams. The outflow from black holes in TNG50 is complex and is being compared with our real universe. Understanding how gas coalesced in the early universe helps us understand how our Earth, Sun, and Solar System were formed.
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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