Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/University of Bonn/G. Schellenberger et al; Optical: INT

An extraordinary ribbon of hot gas trailing behind a galaxy like a tail has been discovered using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This ribbon, or X-ray tail, is likely due to gas stripped from the galaxy as it moves through a vast cloud of hot intergalactic gas. With a length of at least 250,000 light years, it is likely the largest such tail ever detected. The newly discovered tail is seen in this composite image of X-rays (blue) and optical data (yellow).

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2015/z8338/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html