This image shows regions of hot gas at the core of merging galaxy cluster Abell 520, detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The gas is evidence that a collision between massive galaxy clusters took place.
Abell 520 resides 2.4 billion light-years away.
Credits
NASA, ESA, CXO, and M.J. Jee (University of California, Davis)| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Abell 520 |
| Object Description | Merging Galaxy Cluster |
| R.A. Position | 04h 54m 18.98s |
| Dec. Position | 02° 56' 48.8" |
| Constellation | Orion |
| Distance | 2.4 billion light-years (740 million parsecs) |
| About The Data | |
| Instrument | Chandra |
| Filters | CXO X-ray |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | Green: CXO X-ray |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
