SpARCS1049+56 cluster tagged posts

Rare Cosmic find: Astronomers find Galaxy Cluster with Bursting Heart

This image, using data from Spitzer and the Hubble Space Telescope, shows the galaxy cluster SpARCS1049. Credit: NASA/STScI/ESA/JPL-Caltech/McGill

This image, using data from Spitzer and the Hubble Space Telescope, shows the galaxy cluster SpARCS1049. Credit: NASA/STScI/ESA/JPL-Caltech/McGill

A gargantuan galaxy cluster with a core bursting with new stars has been found: an incredibly rare find. The discovery is the first to show that gigantic galaxies at the centers of massive clusters can grow significantly by feeding off gas stolen from other galaxies.

Galaxy clusters are vast families of galaxies bound together by gravity. Our own galaxy, the Milky Way resides in the small galaxy group called Local Group, which itself is a member of the massive Laniakea supercluster.

Galaxies at the centres of clusters are usually made of stellar fossils — old, red or dead stars...

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