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> The Coma cluster of galaxies
The Coma cluster of galaxies
author: Nasa/Esa/Hubble Heritage Team/Novapix
reference: a-amg01-01004
Image Size 300 DPI: 91 * 65 cm
Also known as Abell 1656, the Coma Cluster is over 300 million light-years away. The cluster, named after its parent constellation Coma Berenices, is near the Milky Way's north pole. This places the Coma Cluster in an area unobscured by dust and gas from the plane of the Milky Way, and easily visible by Earth viewers. This Hubble image consists of a section of the cluster that is roughly one-third of the way out from the center of the cluster. One bright spiral galaxy is visible in the upper left of the image. It is distinctly brighter and bluer than galaxies surrounding it. A series of dusty spiral arms appears reddish brown against the whiter disk of the galaxy, and gives rise to the idea that this galaxy has been disturbed at some point in the past. The other galaxies in the image are either elliptical, S0 galaxies, or background galaxies far beyond the Coma Cluster sphere.
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