Chandra X-ray Image of 3C438
Evidence for an awesome upheaval in a massive galaxy cluster was discovered in an image made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The origin of a bright arc of extremely hot gas extending over two million light years requires one of the most energetic events ever detected. There are also hints of a cavity in the hot gas to the upper left.
Scale: Image is 8.4 arcmin per side
(Credit: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.P.Kraft)

DSS Optical Image of 3C438
This cropped Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) image (left) shows how different 3c438 looks in optical light. The X-ray image (see #1 above) shows a much different structure from the optical image, including a massive arc-like structure to the lower left. There are also hints of a cavity in the hot gas to the upper left.
Scale: Cropped image is 8.4 arcmin per side; Full field is 50 arcmin per side
(Credit: Pal.Obs. DSS)

VLA Radio Image of 3C438
This radio image from NRAO's Very Large Array shows the inner-most region of 3C438. Jets seen in the radio data do not point in the same directions as the cavity structure seen in the X-ray, adding more mysteries about this system.
(Credit: Radio: NRAO/VLA/A.H.Bridle & R.G.Strom; X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.P.Kraft)