The northern shock wave glows in radio wavelengths as electrons blast through interstellar space
Located about 730 million light years from Earth, Abell 3667 is a galaxy cluster in chaos. It’s composed of two clusters of colliding galaxies. This has created an enormous disturbance in the region: a gargantuan shock wave flaring out either side of the merging cluster and visible only in radio wavelengths. A recent study offers the most detailed picture ever of this enormous wave. Using the MeerKAT radio telescope array in South Africa, researchers imaged both halves of the shock wave’s radio component, also called ‘radio relics’.