What astronomers are calling a cosmic "train wreck" in the galaxy cluster system known as Abell 520 was revealed when data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory was coupled with images from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and Subaru Telescope atop Mauna Kea. A dark matter core was discovered--filled with gas but without galaxies.
Here's how the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope site describes the image: "The individual galaxies appear in the CFHT MegaCam visible-light observations (yellow and orange), which also reveal the presence of dark matter (blue) by the subtle distortions of the distant objects. X-rays from Chandra (red) show the hot gas that envelopes the clusters."
SmartPlanet
- Thought-provoking progressive ideas on diverse topics that intersect with technology, business, and life, and matter to the world at large. Visit SmartPlanet
- More from IBM
- How to Drive Better Business Outcomes with Exceptional Web Experiences Download the eBook
- Driving Business Agility through SOA Connectivity & Integration Read the White Paper from IBM
- Linking Decisions and Information for Organizational Performance Read the Tom Davenport study

















