| Abell 2261 | |
| Credit: | Hubble Space Telescope |
| Epoch: | 2000 |
| Constellation: | Hercules |
| Redshift: | 0.224 |
| Distance: | 909Mpc |
| Temperature: | 7.6 ± 0.30 keV |
| Mass: | 2.9 ± 0.5 |
| Luminosity: | 18.0 ± 0.2 erg s−1 (bolometric) |
Abell 2261 is one of 25 galaxy clusters being studied as part of the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) program, a major project to build a library of scientific data on lensing clusters.[1]
It also has the galaxy A2261-BCG (short for Abell 2261 Brightest Cluster Galaxy) which has one of the largest galaxy cores ever observed.[2]
In January 2021, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope were reported to be unable to locate a supermassive black hole presumed to be at the center of the galaxy.[3] A newer and larger space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, launched in December 2021, may help determine the object's whereabouts, according to the astronomers.