Abell 1689 Explained

Abell 1689 is a galaxy cluster in the constellation Virgo over 2.3 billion light-years away.

Details

Abell 1689 is one of the biggest and most massive galaxy clusters known and acts as a gravitational lens, distorting the images of galaxies that lie behind it.^[1] It has the largest system of gravitational arcs ever found.^[2]

Abell 1689 shows over 160,000 globular clusters, the largest population ever found.^[3]

There is evidence of merging and gases in excess of 100 million degrees.^[2] The very large mass of this cluster makes it useful for the study of dark matter and gravitational lensing.^{[4] [5]}

At the time of its discovery in 2008, one of the lensed galaxies, A1689-zD1, was the most distant galaxy found.^{[6] [7]}

See also

• Abell catalogue
• Gravitational lensing
• List of Abell clusters

External links

• Galaxy cluster Abell 1689: Biggest 'Zoom Lens' in Space Takes Hubble Deeper into the Universe (HubbleSite)
• Galaxy cluster Abell 1689: Astronomers Find One of the Youngest and Brightest Galaxies in the Early Universe (HubbleSite)
• Astronomers take a step towards revealing the Universe's biggest mystery, ESA/Hubble Press Release.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Falcon-Lang. Howard. Fate of Universe revealed by galactic lens. BBC News. BBC. 19 August 2010. 19 August 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100819191733/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11030889. 19 August 2010 . live.
2. Web site: Purple Haze, Part Deux. NASA. 12 September 2008. 19 September 2012.
3. Web site: Globular clusters within Abell 1689. HUBBLE/ESA. 12 September 2013. 19 September 2013.
4. Web site: Detailed Dark Matter Map Yields Clues to Galaxy Cluster Growth. NASA. 11 December 2010. 19 September 2012.
5. A Free-Form Lensing Grid Solution for A1689 with New Multiple Images. 6. Diego, Jose M.. Broadhurst, T.. Benitez, N.. Umetsu, K.. Coe, D.. Sendra, I.. Sereno, M.. Izzo, L.. Covone, G.. MNRAS. 446. 1. 2015MNRAS.446..683D. 10.1093/mnras/stu2064. 2014. 683–704. free. 1402.4170 .
6. Web site: Astronomers Eye Ultra-Young, Bright Galaxy in Early Universe . . 2008-02-12 . 2008-02-25 . 2016-03-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160318184254/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/news/Spitzer20080212.html .
7. Web site: Astronomers Uncover One of the Youngest and Brightest Galaxies in the Early Universe . Space Telescope Science Institute Baltimore, Md. / nasa.gov . 2008-02-12 . 2008-02-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080217204728/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/young_bright.html. 17 February 2008 . live.