El Gordo: a massive distant merging galaxy cluster

This picture of the galaxy cluster ACT-CL J0102−4915 combines images taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope with images from the SOAR Telescope. This newly discovered object has been nicknamed El Gordo — the "big" or "fat one" in Spanish. It consists of two separate galaxy subclusters colliding at several million kilometres per hour, and is so far away that its light has travelled for seven billion years to reach the Earth. The merging cluster appear as a cloud of huge numbers of faint galaxies stretching from the lower left to the upper right of the picture. Close to the centre a pale blue line caused by gravitational lensing of a more distant galaxy can be seen.

Credit:

ESO/SOAR

About the Image

Id:eso1203b
Type:Observation
Release date:9 January 2012, 12:12
Related releases:eso1203
Size:1530 x 1182 px

About the Object

Name:ACT-CL J0102−4915
Type:Early Universe : Galaxy : Grouping : Cluster
Distance:z=0.87 (redshift)
Constellation:Phoenix
Category:Cosmology

Image Formats

Large JPEG
889.5 KB
Screensize JPEG
270.5 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

1024x768
337.2 KB
1280x1024
620.4 KB
1600x1200
782.2 KB
1920x1200
892.0 KB
2048x1536
1.2 MB

Coordinates

Position (RA):1 2 57.12
Position (Dec):-49° 15' 20.11"
Field of view:6.46 x 4.99 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.0° left of vertical

Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Optical
R
655 nmVery Large Telescope
FORS2
Infrared
I
768 nmVery Large Telescope
FORS2
Infrared
Z
910 nmVery Large Telescope
FORS2