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NASA scientists may have just solved the galactic mystery of how a huge wave of gas formed in a cluster of galaxies more than 200,000 light-years away. 。

The answer has to do with a cosmic near collision that occurred billions of years ago. 。

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Scientists working with NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory and other teams now think that the wave of gas seen in the Perseus galaxy cluster was created when a smaller cluster of galaxies "grazed" the Perseus cluster sometime in its past, causing some of its gas to "slosh" around, NASA said in a statement.。

"The wave we've identified is associated with the flyby of a smaller cluster, which shows that the merger activity that produced these giant structures is still ongoing," NASA's Stephen Walker said.。

This animation cycles between a view of high-energy x-rays in the center of the Perseus cluster (blue, green) and low energy x-rays (red) over a wider area.Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/E.Bulbul, et al.。

The findings are detailed in a new study published in the journal。 The findings are detailed in a new study published in the journal。

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 。Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.。By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.  。

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Part of the reason why scientists think the gas bubble formed from a galactic close encounter is because the other suspect for manipulating gravity on such a large scale is a super massive black hole, and computer model simulations don't support that scenario. 。

An annotated view of the wave in the galaxy cluster.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Stephen Walker et al.
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The researchers put together the simulations to try to explain how the wave of gas formed. One of those simulations showed a galaxy cluster brushing by the Perseus cluster and displacing some of its gas. 。

"The flyby creates a gravitational disturbance that churns up the gas like cream stirred into coffee, creating an expanding spiral of cold gas," NASA said in the statement.。

"After about 2.5 billion years, when the gas has risen nearly 500,000 light-years from the center, vast waves form and roll at its periphery for hundreds of millions of years before dissipating."。

If all of this is a little difficult for you to visualize, just think of the wave as something like a giant Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud formation on Earth, which look like cartoon-versions of ocean waves in the sky. 。

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Via Giphy
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Via Giphy。

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