It’s not just the Hubble that’s bringing back some really amazing pictures of space any more, folks–check out this shot of the Hydra A galaxy from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

The physics of this shot pretty much eludes me, despite the fact that I read their description no less than three times.  Here, take a look and see what I mean:

Detailed analysis of the Chandra data shows that the gas located along the direction of the radio jets is enhanced in iron and other metals. Scientists think these elements have been produced by Type Ia supernova explosions in the large galaxy at the center of the cluster. A powerful outburst from the supermassive black hole then pushed the material outwards, over distances extending for almost 400,000 light years, extending beyond the region shown in this image. About 10 to 20 percent of the iron in the galaxy has been displaced, requiring a few percent of the total energy produced by the central black hole.

Yeah, exactly.  It makes about as much sense to the layman as Swedish furniture assembly instructions, but one thing’s clear–that’s a really, REALLY awesome picture.

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