 The cluster of galaxies known as Abell S0740, taken by NASA's Hubble telescope. It is around 450 million light years away A giant diffuse galaxy is a supermassive, elliptical galaxy that is usually located in the centre of a cluster of galaxies. The term is often contacted to cD (central diffuse) galaxies, or BCGs (for brightest cluster galaxies). [1] Giant diffuse galaxies are on average about 10 times more luminous than "regular" galaxies, and many times larger than a normal elliptical galaxy - some having diameters of over 6 million light years (the Milky Way, in contrast, is thought to be only around 100 thousand light years).[1] Giant diffuse galaxies are usually the largest galaxies in their respective clusters, and are mostly located around the centre of the cluster. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States Government, responsible for that nations public space program. ...
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope orbiting the Earth at the outer edges of the atmosphere. ...
NGC 4414, a typical spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, is about 17,000 parsecs in diameter and approximately 20 million parsecs distant. ...
For the scientific meaning, see luminosity. ...
A light year, abbreviated ly, is the distance light travels in one year: roughly 9. ...
It has been suggested that Andromeda-Milky Way collision be merged into this article or section. ...
Growth
cD galaxies are believed to grow larger by accreting or coming together with other galaxies,[1] and this "cannibalising" of smaller galaxies has actually been observed. Because giant diffuse galaxies exist at the centres of galaxy clusters, there are many galaxies to "feed" on. This form of growth leads to the overwhelming diameter and luminosity of the cDs.[1] However, there is usually a perimeter around the cD galaxy in which no smaller galaxies exist, because they have already been accreted. There are always remains of "eaten" galaxies, appearing as a diffuse halo of gas and dust.[1] This halo can be up to 3 million light years in diameter.[2] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
An elliptical galaxy is a type of galaxy in the Hubble sequence characterized by the following physical properties: The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4881 (the spherical glow at upper left) lies at the edge of the Coma Cluster of Galaxies. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
After just three years of use, dust has blocked this laptop heat sink, making the computer unusable Dust is a general name for minute solid particles with diameters less than 500 micrometers (otherwise, please see sand or granulates and, more generally, finely divided matter). ...
Dynamic friction Dynamic friction is the catalytic factor in the formation of the cD galaxy at the centre of a cluster.[3] This process begins when the motion of a large galaxy in a cluster attracts smaller galaxies into a wake behind it. This trail of smaller galaxies effectively slows the large galaxy, and, losing kinetic energy, it will gradually fall towards the centre of the cluster. Once there, the stars, gas, dust and dark matter of the large galaxy and its trailing galaxies will join with those of other galaxies who preceded them in the same fate.[3] A giant diffuse galaxy will result from this accumulation.[3] The nuclei of merged galaxies often remain recognizable long after the mergers. The kinetic energy of an object is the extra energy which it possesses due to its motion. ...
This article is about the astronomical object. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
After just three years of use, dust has blocked this laptop heat sink, making the computer unusable Dust is a general name for minute solid particles with diameters less than 500 micrometers (otherwise, please see sand or granulates and, more generally, finely divided matter). ...
In astrophysics and cosmology, dark matter is matter, not directly observed and of unknown composition, that does not emit or reflect enough electromagnetic radiation to be detected directly, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter. ...
See also List of galaxies: Abell 1835 IR1916 AM 0644-741 Andromeda Galaxy (M31/NGC 224) Andromeda I Andromeda II Andromeda III Aquarius Dwarf Barnards Galaxy (NGC 6822) Black Eye Galaxy (M64/NGC 4826) Bodes Galaxy (M81/NGC 3031) Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy Carina Dwarf Centaurus A Galaxy Draco Dwarf Fornax...
References - ^ a b c d e Curious About Astronomy?. Retrieved on 28 March, 2007.
- ^ Cosmos: The SAO Encyclopedia: cD galaxies. Retrieved on 29 March, 2007.
- ^ a b c cD galaxies and cannibalism. Retrieved on 29 March, 2007.
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