El Gordo (galaxy cluster)
| El Gordo | |
|---|---|
El Gordo consists of two separate galaxy sub-clusters colliding at several million kilometres per hour. | |
| Observation data (Epoch J2000.0) | |
| Constellation | Phoenix |
| Right ascension | 01h 02m 52.50s |
| Declination | −49° 14′ 58.0″ |
| Redshift | 0.87 |
| Other designations | |
| El Gordo, ACT-CL J0102-4915, SPT-CL J0102-4915 | |
El Gordo (lit. The Fat One) (ACT-CL J0102-4915 or SPT-CL J0102-4915) is the largest distant galaxy cluster observed at its distance or beyond, as of 2011. As of 2014, it held the record for being the largest distant galaxy cluster to have been discovered with a mass of slightly less than three quadrillion solar masses although later its mass was reduced to about 2.1×1015 (2.1 quadrillion) solar masses with a 10% uncertainty. It was found by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (funded by the National Science Foundation) and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope.
This galaxy cluster, officially named, 'ACT-CL J0102-4915', has been given the nickname 'El Gordo' (Spanish for "the Fat One") by researchers as an homage to the telescopes used for its discovery in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile (ACT, VLT and SOAR). It is located more than 7 billion light-years from Earth.
Findings and results on 'El Gordo' were announced at the 219th meeting of American Astronomical Society in Austin, Texas.