Coma Berenices Galaxy Cluster

May 27, 2007

Coma_cluster_wide_field_neg_darker

Referred by: Greg Parker, University of Southampton, U.K.
Summary authors & editors: Greg Parker

Spring is galaxy season for astronomers -- the most well known galaxy clusters swing into view at night during the spring months. The cluster shown above is the famous "Coma Cluster" of galaxies in Coma Berenices, located between the constellations of Ursa Major (Big Dipper) and Virgo. Sometimes it's better to show a negative image rather than a full-colour version if you want to see all the "faint fuzzies" in the mirror's field of view. Every dot on this image that's not obviously a star (with diffraction spikes) is a galaxy. There are hundreds in this field! Photo taken from the New Forest Observatory, in Brockenhurst, England on April 8, 2007. Processing by Noel Carboni.

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