File:Abell 2384.jpg

English: Chandra has often observed cavities in hot gas created by jets in the centers of galaxy clusters, such as the Perseus cluster, MS 0735 and the Ophiuchus Cluster. However, Abell 2384 offers a rare case of such an interaction occurring in the outer region of a cluster. It is also unusual that the supermassive black hole driving the jet is not in the largest galaxy located in the center of the cluster.

Astronomers consider objects like Abell 2384 to be important for understanding the growth of galaxy clusters. Based on computer simulations, it has been shown that after a collision between two galaxy clusters, they oscillate like a pendulum and pass through each other several times before merging to form a larger cluster. Based on these simulations, astronomers think that the two clusters in Abell 2384 will eventually merge.

Abell 2384 is located 1.2 billion light years from Earth. Based on previous work, scientists estimate the total mass of Abell 2384 is 260 trillion times the mass of the Sun. This includes the dark matter, hot gas and the individual galaxies.