34 replies to this topic

[General123]

[url="http://www.theregister.com/2006/06/12/great_balls_of_fire/"]http://www.theregist..._balls_of_fire/[/url]

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." ®

*Please take note that considerable restraint has been exercised, and no references to 'great balls of fire' have been made in this article.
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Err.....Goodness gracious...Great balls of fire

[Sgt. Nuker]

That must have been incredible to see. Kudos to the guy(s) that found it. Millions of light years long!?! :wow: This is the reason why space is so incredible.


Regards,

Major Nuker

[Moosy Crisp]

Tis very far out.....I forgot that there was another galaxy for a moment

[AllStarZ]

FOOLS! IT'S AN ALIEN ARMADA!

[Moosy Crisp]

When flaming balls of gas equals an alien armada, Ray Charles would have to have been my grandmother.

[AllStarZ]

You never know.

He just might be your grandmother.

[Moosy Crisp]

WRONG! It was the Red Baron who was my grandma, not Ray Charles.

[spiderspag]

Imagine what such a great ball of flaming gas would do if Earth passed through it.

[The_Hunter]

spiderspag, on 14 Jun 2006, 04:51, said:

Imagine what such a great ball of flaming gas would do if Earth passed through it.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

it doesn't realy mather if it would happen you wouldn't feel anything of it at all it would be over so fast that you wouldn't even experince pain.

[Ion Cannon!]

Yep, all your blood would boil and you brain would explode. long before the ball of gas even reached us, due to the heat. That would have been so cool to see a huge ball of fire 3 million light years in lennght, thats huge.

[Mathias]

I wonder how it initally got accelerated. Maybe it was flung through space by the drag outside the event horizon of a massive black hole?

[The_Hunter]

nah someone farted with a lighter behind his @ss

[Mathias]

You mean His ass?

Edited by Cycerin, 14 June 2006 - 13:24.

[The_Hunter]

no his arse (or 455, 4ss, a55 whatever you pefer)

[Whitey]

it will hit earth

and we will die.

That things pretty huge... to humans. Within space, its likely just another small component.

[Slightly Wonky Robob]

i want to know how the hell did people not see that till now... 3 million light years!!!!

[Sgt. Nuker]

Space is so vast Bob. It's possible to miss things that are "millions of light-years large/wide/long". Consider the fact that our universe is approximately 14-15 billion years long/wide. A few million years is a small portion of that, which would make it easy to miss something like that fireball.


Regards,

Major Nuker

[Slightly Wonky Robob]

yeah i know....

it just sounds rediculous the size of it and its only just been spotted (although it is like a needle in a haystack )

[Sgt. Nuker]

The funny thing of it all is the fact that there are probably more of those fireballs floating around in space, waiting for us to "discover" them. There may even be more oddities like that great ball of fire....it's anyone's guess.


Regards,

Major Nuker

[Hobbesy]

Space goes on forever and ever so there is no reason to explore it farther than a couple of solar systems from the one we live in is my opinion. To belive there are no other life forms in a never ending cosmos is impossible to me.
Though I belive their is some sort of alien life form out there it probably has no UFOs.

Edited by tictac, 15 June 2006 - 02:16.

[DreadNot]

Two words. Holy crap.

[Slightly Wonky Robob]

IMO,i think that space is infinate, if so then there is an infinate number of planets.... therefore there is an infinate nummber of planets with lif on and an infinate number of planets without life on. I'm going to stop there before i confuse myself :wahhhhhaa:

[Overdose]

Sephiroth is using the Super Nova spell

we're doomed >_<!

AllStarZ, on 13 Jun 2006, 23:31, said:

FOOLS! IT'S AN ALIEN ARMADA!
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sig quoted for awesomeness.

Kudos to you.

Edited by Overdose, 15 June 2006 - 17:24.

[DreadNot]

Bob, on 15 Jun 2006, 05:25, said:

IMO,i think that space is infinate, if so then there is an infinate number of planets.... therefore there is an infinate nummber of planets with lif on and an infinate number of planets without life on. I'm going to stop there before i confuse myself  :wahhhhhaa:
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can't split infinite in half. I know what you're getting at though. I personally think there isn't an infinite number of planets, just uncountable.

[Overdose]

So in theory there's an end to the universe?

What lies in there? xP

I was discussing this with a friend of mine a few years ago, and we somewhat agreed that if the limit was crossed we'd just return to the opposing end. What if there were more universes? The human race might never fully explore ours and the thoughts of multiple universes is simply mind blowing.

Edited by Overdose, 15 June 2006 - 22:25.