El Gordo: a massive distant merging galaxy cluster

This video shows a close-up view of the galaxy cluster ACT-CL J0102−4915. It is based on images taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope along with images from the SOAR Telescope and X-ray observations from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. The X-ray image shows the hot gas in the cluster and is shown in blue. This newly discovered galaxy cluster 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.

Credit:

ESO/SOAR/NASA

About the Video

Id:eso1203a
Release date:10 January 2012, 17:00
Related releases:eso1203
Duration:27 s
Frame rate:30 fps

About the Object

Name:ACT-CL J0102-4915
Type:Early Universe : Galaxy : Grouping : Cluster
Category:Galaxy Clusters

HD


Large

Large QT
5.7 MB

Medium

Video Podcast
4.3 MB
Medium MPEG-1
8.9 MB
Medium Flash
5.7 MB

Small

Small Flash
2.5 MB
Small QT
1.5 MB

For Broadcasters