The Radio "Treble Clef" Is Likely a Black Hole's Outburst, Then a Cluster Collision

Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory set out to explain a remarkable formation of radio waves that they nicknamed the "Treble Clef," after the musical symbol its distinct shape strongly resembles.

The researchers concluded the structure is likely the product of two events in sequence: an outburst from a supermassive black hole, followed by a collision of two galaxy clusters. A nickname borrowed from sheet music, on this account, is the visible trace of a black hole's tantrum that a cluster merger then reshaped.