Abell 550, Galaxy Cluster, Optical
A clump of dark matter has apparently been left behind after a violent collision of galaxy clusters. This dark matter clump contains far fewer galaxies than would be expected if the dark matter and galaxies hung together. Astronomers used Chandra, Hubble, and the Canada-France-Hawaii, and Subaru telescopes to observe Abell 520, which is billion light years away. This finding confirms previous observations of a dark-matter core in the cluster announced in 2007. The result could present a challenge to basic theories of dark matter, which predict that galaxies should be anchored to dark matter, even during the shock of a powerful collision. Optical data from Hubble and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii are shown in red, green, and blue. Release date March 2, 2012.
Size: 4200px × 2701px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 550, 2012, 21st, abell, astronomical, astronomy, body, celestial, century, cluster, collision, cosmography, cosmological, cosmology, cosmos, dark, deep, distribution, evolution, galaxy, heavenly, image, matter, object, optical, science, sky, space, universe
