Produced by: Manoj Kumar
XRISM has captured direct evidence of galaxy clusters merging and colliding—revealing how these titanic structures grow through violent interactions across cosmic time.
Credit : JAXA
For the first time, astronomers have measured sloshing motions of hot gas at a cluster’s core, showing how violent mergers stir and heat the gas.
Credit : JAXA
Why doesn’t galaxy cluster gas cool? XRISM found violent turbulence prevents cooling, solving a long-standing puzzle about cluster evolution and energy balance.
Galaxy clusters are kept hot by turbulence, not by calm gravitational settling—XRISM’s precise X-ray measurements rewrite our understanding of cluster dynamics.
Credit : JAXA
With 30x better resolution than past X-ray tools, XRISM’s spectrometer Resolve measured hot gas flying at 310 km/s, uncovering the secret of galaxy cluster heat.
XRISM’s findings reveal how gravity and dark matter shape galaxy clusters—sloshing gas reveals an unseen dance of massive forces sculpting the universe.
For decades, scientists theorized clusters grow by merging—now XRISM provides direct, stunning proof of gas stirred by ancient galactic collisions.
Instead of cooling, the Centaurus Cluster’s gas is kept sizzling hot by chaotic, sloshing flows, a discovery that may apply to clusters across the cosmos.
Credit : NASA
By observing how galaxy clusters evolve via mergers, XRISM’s discovery helps us trace the history of the universe from the Big Bang to today.