Centaurus A’s Warped Magnetic Fields

When galaxies collide — what occurs to their magnetic fields? To relief uncover out, NASA pointed SOFIA, its flying 747, at galactic neighbor Centaurus A to behold the emission of polarized dirt — which traces magnetic fields. Cen A’s peculiar shape results from the clash of two galaxies with jets powered by gasoline accreting onto a central supermassive black gap. Within the ensuing featured advise, SOFIA-derived magnetic streamlines are superposed on ESO (seen: white), APEX (submillimeter: orange), Chandra (X-rays: blue), and Spitzer (infrared: crimson) photos. The magnetic fields were chanced on to be parallel to the dirt lanes on the outskirts of the galaxy nonetheless distorted shut to the heart. Gravitational forces shut to the black gap bustle ions and enhance the magnetic self-discipline. In sum, the collision not ideal mixed the galaxies’ plenty — nonetheless amplified their magnetic fields. These results present new insights into how magnetic fields developed within the early universe when mergers were more overall.