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Abell 3627 shows H-alpha data obtained with the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) Telescope in Chile. At the front of the tail is the galaxy ESO 137-001. The brighter of the two tails has been seen before and extends for about 260, 000 light years. The detection of the second, fainter tail, however, was a surprise to the scientists. The X-ray tails were created when cool gas from ESO 137-001 (with a temperature of about ten degrees above absolute zero) was stripped by hot gas (about 100 million degrees) as it travels towards the center of the galaxy cluster Abell 3627. The Norma Cluster (ACO 3627 or Abell 3627) is a rich cluster of galaxies located near the center of the Great Attractor. The two-pronged tail in this system may have formed because gas has been stripped from the two major spiral arms in ESO 137-001. The H-alpha data shows evidence for star formation in the tails, the first unambiguous evidence that star formation can occur when cold gas is stripped out of galaxies as they fall through clusters. The Chandra data also reveal an excess of luminous X-ray point sources around the X-ray tails. Release date January 21, 2010.
