Abell 2029 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Abell 2029 cluster |
|
|---|---|
| Observation data (Epoch J2000) | |
| Constellation(s) | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 15h 10m 56.20s |
| Declination | +05° 44′ 41″ |
| Brightest member | IC 1101 |
| Redshift | 0.0767 |
| Distance (co-moving) |
326 Mpc (1,063 Mly) h−1 0.705 |
| Binding mass | 8×1014 M☉ |
| X-ray flux | 6.94×10−11 erg s-1 cm-2 (0.1-2.4 keV) |
Abell 2029 (also called A2029) is a huge group of galaxies located about 1 billion light years away from us. You can find it in the night sky in the Virgo constellation.
Contents
What is Abell 2029?
Abell 2029 is known as a galaxy cluster. This means it's a giant collection of hundreds or even thousands of galaxies. All these galaxies are held together by gravity. It's one of the largest and most massive structures in the universe.
How Big is IC 1101?
At the very center of the Abell 2029 cluster is a galaxy called IC 1101. This galaxy is truly enormous! It's believed to be the largest galaxy we know of.
Scientists estimate that IC 1101 is between 5.6 and over 6 million light years across. To give you an idea, our own Milky Way galaxy is only about 200,000 light years wide.
How Does it Compare to the Milky Way?
The entire Abell 2029 cluster is also incredibly massive. It is about 81 times bigger than our Milky Way galaxy.
This type of super-sized galaxy, like IC 1101, probably grew so large by "eating" nearby smaller galaxies. Over billions of years, its strong gravity pulled in other galaxies, adding to its size.
See also
In Spanish: Abell 2029 para niños
External Links
- Curious About Astronomy?, "What is the largest galaxy?", Cornell University
