Chandra Release - June 7, 2022 Visual Description: Abell 2146 This release features a composite image of one galaxy cluster plowing through another, resembling a white ball barreling through misty purple clouds. Together, these galaxy clusters are known as Abell 2146. Both clusters are dotted with bright red and white specks. A second, labeled version of the same image highlights subtle patterns in and around the clouds. Cluster number one is a vaguely shaped purple cloud slightly above and to our right of center. Cluster number two is positioned slightly down and to our left of center. The second cluster is in the process of plowing through its misty neighbor, therefore the two clouds appear blended. An arrow in the labeled version of the image indicates that the direction of motion for cluster number two is indeed down and to the left. At the forward point of cluster number two is the bright white ball. Though not positioned at the center of the cloud, this ball is the core of the cluster. The forward edge of the ball, near the lower left, is clearly defined. The opposite edge is blurred, and blends into the cloud behind it. This dense blur is the tail of the cluster. The tail fans out behind the core like the wake from a boat, creating very subtle concentric arches in the purple cloud of the blended clusters. In both clusters, the purple mist represents hot gas detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Although these hot gas clouds are quite misty, they feature curiously clean edges in some spots. At our lower left, in front of the barreling core, and at our upper right, far behind the core, the edges of the clouds are notably sharper. The annotated version of the image indicates that these clean edges are shock waves. Specks of red and white dot the two clouds and the blackness of space surrounding them. These are mostly individual galaxies in Abell 2146.