XMMXCS 2215-1738 is a galaxy cluster

Galaxy cluster

A galaxy cluster is a compact cluster of galaxies. Basic difference between a galaxy group and a galaxy cluster is that there are many more galaxies in a cluster than in a group. Also, galaxies in a cluster are more compact and have higher velocity dispersion. One of the key features of cluster is...

 that lies 10 billion light-years away, or redshift

Redshift

In physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...

 z=1.45 . It was discovered by the XMM Cluster Survey in 2006.

XMMXCS 2215-1738 is one of the most distant galaxy cluster discovered by June 2006. It is embedded in intergalactic gas that has a temperature of 10 million degrees. The estimated mass of the cluster is 500 trillion solar masses. The cluster was discovered and studied using the XMM Newton and Keck Telescopes. The cluster is surprisingly large and evolved for a cluster that existed when the universe was only 3 billion years old.

Led by University of Sussex

University of Sussex

The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....

 researchers, part of the XMM Cluster Survey (XCS) used X-ray Multi Mirror (XMM) Newton satellite to find it, Keck Telescope to determine distance, and used the Hubble Space Telescope

Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...

 to further image it.

It contains hundreds of reddish galaxys surrounded by x-ray emitting gas. It is theorized to have a mass

Mass

Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...

 500 trillion times the mass of the Sun

Sun

The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...

.
Image

The galaxy is called XMMXCS 2215-1734 in many references, with some news sources listing both names. The source of the naming contradiction between XMMXCS 2215-1734 and XMMXCS 2215-1738 is not known. However, XMMXCS 2215-1738 seems to be the more accurate.

See also

• 2XMM J083026+524133
• galaxy cluster
  Galaxy cluster
  A galaxy cluster is a compact cluster of galaxies. Basic difference between a galaxy group and a galaxy cluster is that there are many more galaxies in a cluster than in a group. Also, galaxies in a cluster are more compact and have higher velocity dispersion. One of the key features of cluster is...
  
  
• XMM Newton
• XMM Cluster Survey (XCS)
• List of the most distant astronomical objects

External links

• Astronomers Find Most Distant Galaxy Cluster Yet (SpaceDaily) Jun 7, 2006
• Maturity of Farthest Galaxy Cluster Surprises Astronomers Christine L. Kulyk (SPACE.com) 8 June 2006 06:20 am ET