Jun 28, 2008

Galaxies of Coma Cluster


Take a look at the picture above. This is a picture of the Coma Cluster, a large cluster of galaxies that contains more than 1000 galaxies. Each of these galaxies houses billions of stars. The Coma Cluster is so big it takes light millions of years just to go from one side to the other! The cluster's mean distance from Earth is 99 Mpc (321 million light years). Light from the Coma Cluster takes hundreds of millions of years to reach earth.


Most galaxies in Coma and other clusters are ellipticals, although some are spirals. The central region of Coma Cluster is dominated by two giant elliptical galaxies: NGC 4874 and NGC 4889. Both dwarf, as well as giant ellipticals, are found in abundance in the Coma Cluster. NASA


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