Abell 1689 is a

galaxy cluster A galaxy cluster, or a cluster of galaxies, is a structure that consists of anywhere from hundreds to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity, with typical masses ranging from 1014 to 1015 solar masses. They are the second-l ...

in the constellation

Virgo Virgo may refer to: *Virgo (astrology), the sixth astrological sign of the zodiac *Virgo (constellation), a constellation *Virgo Cluster, a cluster of galaxies in the constellation Virgo *Virgo Stellar Stream, remains of a dwarf galaxy *Virgo Supe ...

over 2.3 billion

light-year A light-year, alternatively spelled light year, is a large unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equivalent to about 9.46 trillion kilometers (), or 5.88 trillion miles ().One trillion here is taken to be 1012 ...

s away.

Details

Abell 1689 is one of the biggest and most massive galaxy clusters known and acts as a

gravitational lens A gravitational lens is a distribution of matter (such as a cluster of galaxies) between a distant light source and an observer that is capable of bending the light from the source as the light travels toward the observer. This effect is known ...

, distorting the images of galaxies that lie behind it. It has the largest system of gravitational arcs ever found. Abell 1689 shows over 160,000

globular clusters A globular cluster is a spheroidal conglomeration of stars. Globular clusters are bound together by gravity, with a higher concentration of stars towards their centers. They can contain anywhere from tens of thousands to many millions of member ...

, the largest population ever found. There is evidence of merging and gases in excess of 100 million degrees. The very large mass of this cluster makes it useful for the study of

dark matter Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. Dark matter is called "dark" because it does not appear to interact with the electromagnetic field, which means it does not ab ...

and gravitational lensing. At the time of its discovery in 2008, one of the lensed galaxies,

A1689-zD1 A1689-zD1 is a galaxy in the Virgo constellation. It was a candidate for the most distant and therefore earliest-observed galaxy discovered , based on a photometric redshift. If the redshift, z~7.6, is correct, it would explain why the galax ...

, was the most distant galaxy found.

Gallery

File:Gravitationell-lins-4.jpg, Yellow galaxies belong to the cluster itself. Red and blue are background galaxies gravitationally lensed. File:Abell 1689.jpg, Mass map of Abell 1689. File:Globular clusters in Abell 1689.jpg, Globular clusters in Abell 1689

References

External links

Galaxy cluster Abell 1689: Biggest 'Zoom Lens' in Space Takes Hubble Deeper into the Universe
(HubbleSite)
Galaxy cluster Abell 1689: Astronomers Find One of the Youngest and Brightest Galaxies in the Early Universe
(HubbleSite)
Astronomers take a step towards revealing the Universe's biggest mystery

ESA , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...

/ Hubble Press Release. {{DEFAULTSORT:Abell 1689

1689 Events January–March * January 22 (January 12, 1688 O.S.) – Glorious Revolution in England: The Convention Parliament is convened to determine if King James II of England, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, vacated th ...

Galaxy clusters Virgo (constellation) Gravitational lensing Abell richness class 4

Details

Gallery

See also

References

External links