Abell 1689
Abell 1689 is a galaxy cluster in the constellation Virgo , 2.2 billion light years (670 Mpc ) away from Earth , which is one of the most massive known objects in the universe .
By observing the center of this galaxy cluster with the Hubble Space Telescope , the astronomers discovered around 10,000 globular clusters . Based on this number, the astronomers estimate that there should be more than 160,000 globular clusters in the cluster within a range of 2.4 million light years. This would be the largest observed population to date.
The Hubble observations show that most of these objects formed near the center of the cluster, i.e. where the largest proportion of dark matter should be. The further away you go, the fewer globular clusters can be discovered.
Abell 1689 is used by researchers as a gravitational lens due to its great gravitational effect and thus enabled, for example, the discovery of A1689-zD1 , a galaxy over 13 billion years old (z ≈ 7.6). However, the visible mass of Abell 1689 apparently only accounts for one percent of the observed gravitational effect, which means that the currently much-discussed questions about dark matter receive further material.
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- ↑ http://www.astronews.com/news/artikel/2013/09/1309-021.shtml
- ↑ Abell 1689 Warps Space - Astronomy Picture of the Day of January 9, 2003 (English).