News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy.
Dark matter and normal matter have been wrenched apart by the tremendous collision of two large clusters of galaxies. This composite image shows the galaxy cluster 1E 0657-56, also known as the "bullet cluster." The hot gas detected by Chandra in X-rays is seen as two pink clumps in the image and contains most of the "normal" matter in the two clusters. The bullet-shaped clump on the right is the hot gas from one cluster, which passed through the hot gas from the other larger cluster during the collision. An optical image from Magellan and the Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxies in orange and white. The blue areas in this image show where astronomers find most of the mass in the clusters.
News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy.
Dark matter and normal matter have been wrenched apart by the tremendous collision of two large clusters of galaxies. This composite image shows the galaxy cluster 1E 0657-56, also known as the "bullet cluster." The hot gas detected by Chandra in X-rays is seen as two pink clumps in the image and contains most of the "normal" matter in the two clusters. The bullet-shaped clump on the right is the hot gas from one cluster, which passed through the hot gas from the other larger cluster during the collision. An optical image from Magellan and the Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxies in orange and white. The blue areas in this image show where astronomers find most of the mass in the clusters.
About the Object Object Name: 1E0657-556, 1ES 0657-55.8 Object Description: Cluster of Galaxies Position (J2000): R.A. 06h 58m 27s.40 Dec. -55° 56' 47 ".0 Constellation: Carina Distance: 3.4 billion light years (1 billion parsecs) About the Data Data Description: This image was is a compilation of data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and the Magellean telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. The HST component was created from data from proposal 10200: C. Jones and W. Forman (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), A. Gonzalez (University of Florida), D. Clowe (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona), M. Markevitch (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics).
The science team comprises D. Clowe (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona), Marusa Bradac (Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford), A. Gonzalez (University of Florida), M. Markevitch, S. Randall, and C. Jones (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), and D. Zaritsky (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona)
Instrument: HST: ACS/WFC Exposure Date(s): October 21, 2004 Exposure Time: 4.7 days Filters: F435W("B"), F606W("V") and F814W("I") About the Image Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/M.Markevitc h et al. Optical: NASA/STScI; Magellan/U.Arizona/D .Clowe et al. Lensing Map: NASA/STScI; ESO WFI; Magellan/U.Arizona/D .Clowe et al. Release Date: August 21, 2006
Fast_Facts
Technical facts about this news release:
About the Object Object Name: 1E0657-556, 1ES 0657-55.8 Object Description: Cluster of Galaxies Position (J2000): R.A. 06h 58m 27s.40 Dec. -55° 56' 47 ".0 Constellation: Carina Distance: 3.4 billion light years (1 billion parsecs) About the Data Data Description: This image was is a compilation of data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and the Magellean telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. The HST component was created from data from proposal 10200: C. Jones and W. Forman (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), A. Gonzalez (University of Florida), D. Clowe (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona), M. Markevitch (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics).
The science team comprises D. Clowe (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona), Marusa Bradac (Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford), A. Gonzalez (University of Florida), M. Markevitch, S. Randall, and C. Jones (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), and D. Zaritsky (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona)
Instrument: HST: ACS/WFC Exposure Date(s): October 21, 2004 Exposure Time: 4.7 days Filters: F435W("B"), F606W("V") and F814W("I") About the Image Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/M.Markevitc h et al. Optical: NASA/STScI; Magellan/U.Arizona/D .Clowe et al. Lensing Map: NASA/STScI; ESO WFI; Magellan/U.Arizona/D .Clowe et al. Release Date: August 21, 2006
Fast Facts
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical
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*Release Date*:August 21, 2006 01:00 PM (EDT)
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*Release Date*:August 21, 2006 01:00 PM (EDT)
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2006-39a
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2006-39a
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*Title*:NASA Finds Direct Proof of Dark Matter
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*Title*:NASA Finds Direct Proof of Dark Matter
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*Description*:
This composite image shows the galaxy cluster 1E 0657-556, also known as the "bullet cluster." This cluster was formed after the collision of two large clusters of galaxies, the most energetic event known in the universe since the Big Bang.
Hot gas detected by Chandra in X-rays is seen as two pink clumps in the image and contains most of the "normal," or baryonic, matter in the two clusters. The bullet-shaped clump on the right is the hot gas from one cluster, which passed through the hot gas from the other larger cluster during the collision. An optical image from Magellan and the Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxies in orange and white. The blue areas in this image depict where astronomers find most of the mass in the clusters. The concentration of mass is determined by analyzing the effect of so-called gravitational lensing, where light from the distant objects is distorted by intervening matter. Most of the matter in the clusters (blue) is clearly separate from the normal matter (pink), giving direct evidence that nearly all of the matter in the clusters is dark.
The hot gas in each cluster was slowed by a drag force, similar to air resistance, during the collision. In contrast, the dark matter was not slowed by the impact because it does not interact directly with itself or the gas except through gravity. Therefore, during the collision the dark matter clumps from the two clusters moved ahead of the hot gas, producing the separation of the dark and normal matter seen in the image. If hot gas was the most massive component in the clusters, as proposed by alternative theories of gravity, such an effect would not be seen. Instead, this result shows that dark matter is required.
Comparing the optical image with the blue emission shows that the most of the galaxies in each cluster are located near the two dark matter clumps. This shows that the galaxies in each cluster did not slow down because of the collision, unlike the hot gas.
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*Description*:
This composite image shows the galaxy cluster 1E 0657-556, also known as the "bullet cluster." This cluster was formed after the collision of two large clusters of galaxies, the most energetic event known in the universe since the Big Bang.
Hot gas detected by Chandra in X-rays is seen as two pink clumps in the image and contains most of the "normal," or baryonic, matter in the two clusters. The bullet-shaped clump on the right is the hot gas from one cluster, which passed through the hot gas from the other larger cluster during the collision. An optical image from Magellan and the Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxies in orange and white. The blue areas in this image depict where astronomers find most of the mass in the clusters. The concentration of mass is determined by analyzing the effect of so-called gravitational lensing, where light from the distant objects is distorted by intervening matter. Most of the matter in the clusters (blue) is clearly separate from the normal matter (pink), giving direct evidence that nearly all of the matter in the clusters is dark.
The hot gas in each cluster was slowed by a drag force, similar to air resistance, during the collision. In contrast, the dark matter was not slowed by the impact because it does not interact directly with itself or the gas except through gravity. Therefore, during the collision the dark matter clumps from the two clusters moved ahead of the hot gas, producing the separation of the dark and normal matter seen in the image. If hot gas was the most massive component in the clusters, as proposed by alternative theories of gravity, such an effect would not be seen. Instead, this result shows that dark matter is required.
Comparing the optical image with the blue emission shows that the most of the galaxies in each cluster are located near the two dark matter clumps. This shows that the galaxies in each cluster did not slow down because of the collision, unlike the hot gas.
