Report by Aryaa Sinha
NASA’s astronomers have discovered a distant, young
NASA’s astronomers have discovered a distant, young galaxy cluster (large groups of galaxies held together by gravity) named SPT-CL J2215-3537 (SPT2215).
It was discovered using NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and other telescopes. What makes it unique is that it is termed as ‘relaxed,’ meaning it doesn’t show signs of any violent collision with other clusters.
About SPT2215
SPT2215 is located 8.4 billion light-years ( 1 light year = 9 trillion km) away from Earth and is observed when the universe was only 5.3 billion years old (the current age of the universe is 13.8 billion years). This implies that SPT2215 got a head start in its formation compared to other clusters of similar size.
What makes it unique ?
Galaxy clusters expand by merging with other galaxies, causing them to possess asymmetrical shapes and disturbances in gases. However, when left undisturbed, they take on a smooth shape, which is what has been observed in SPT2215. This is a rare find as most galaxy clusters are still undergoing mergers.
SPT2215 also stands out because it shows evidence of significant star formation in its centre. This large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its core, but the star formation indicates that the hot gas has cooled, allowing new stars to form without disruptions from the black hole.
Furthermore, SPT2215 is isolated and does not have any galaxies around within a 600,000-light-year radius. This implies the cluster has not experienced a merger with another cluster for about a billion years, which supports the idea of it being relaxed.
This discovery opens up new avenues for understanding the formation of gigantic structures in the universe and sheds light on its present-day appearance.
image credit: NASA official website
It was discovered using NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and other telescopes. What makes it unique is that it is termed as ‘relaxed,’ meaning it doesn’t show signs of any violent collision with other clusters.
About SPT2215
SPT2215 is located 8.4 billion light-years ( 1 light year = 9 trillion km) away from Earth and is observed when the universe was only 5.3 billion years old (the current age of the universe is 13.8 billion years). This implies that SPT2215 got a head start in its formation compared to other clusters of similar size.
What makes it unique ?
Galaxy clusters expand by merging with other galaxies, causing them to possess asymmetrical shapes and disturbances in gases. However, when left undisturbed, they take on a smooth shape, which is what has been observed in SPT2215. This is a rare find as most galaxy clusters are still undergoing mergers.
SPT2215 also stands out because it shows evidence of significant star formation in its centre. This large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its core, but the star formation indicates that the hot gas has cooled, allowing new stars to form without disruptions from the black hole.
Furthermore, SPT2215 is isolated and does not have any galaxies around within a 600,000-light-year radius. This implies the cluster has not experienced a merger with another cluster for about a billion years, which supports the idea of it being relaxed.
This discovery opens up new avenues for understanding the formation of gigantic structures in the universe and sheds light on its present-day appearance.
Image credit: NASA official website