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Credit & Copyright: O. Lopez-Cruz and I. K. Shelton
(U. Toronto),
Kitt Peak National Obs.
Explanation:
Almost every object in the above photograph is a galaxy. The
Coma Cluster of Galaxies
pictured is one of the densest clusters known - it contains thousands of galaxies.
Each of these galaxies house billions of stars - just as our
own Milky Way Galaxy does.
Although nearby when compared to most other clusters, light
from the Coma Cluster still takes hundreds of millions of years to reach us.
In fact, the Coma Cluster is so big it takes light millions of years just
to go from one side to the other!
Most galaxies in Coma and other clusters are
ellipticals,
while most galaxies outside of clusters are
spirals.
The nature of Coma's X-ray emission is still being investigated.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: cluster of galaxies - Coma Cluster - cluster
Publications with words: cluster of galaxies - Coma Cluster - cluster
See also: