Musket Ball Cluster

The Musket Ball Cluster (DLSCL J0916.2+2951) is a galaxy cluster that exhibits separation between its baryonic matter and dark matter components. The cluster is a recent merger of two galaxy clusters. It is named after the Bullet Cluster, as it is a slower collision, and older than the Bullet Cluster. This cluster is further along the process of merger than the Bullet Cluster,[3] being some 500 million years older, at 700 million years old.[4] The cluster was discovered in 2011 by the Deep Lens Survey.[2] As of 2012, it is one of the few galaxy clusters to show separation between its dark matter and baryonic matter components.[5]

Musket Ball Cluster
Observation data (Epoch J2000.0[1])
Constellation(s)Cancer
Right ascension09h 16m 10.9s[1]
Declination+29° 48′ 44″[1]
Redshift0.53[2]
Other designations
Musket Ball Cluster,[3] DLSCL J0916.2+2951,[2] SHELS J0916.2+2949[1]

Characteristics

As of 2012, it is one of seven galaxy clusters that exhibit separation of dark matter and baryonic matter following cluster collision and merger.[3] The separation between the galaxies and their dark matter components is on average 19,000 light-years (5,800 pc). This separation may indicate that dark matter may interact with itself, through a dark force (a force that only interacts with dark matter) or a set of dark forces.[6] The galaxy cluster itself is some 8 million light-years (2.5 Mpc) across.[7]

See also
Other dissociative galaxy cluster mergers known at time of discovery

References
  1. "NAME Musket Ball Cluster". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  2. Dawson, William A.; Wittman, David; Jee, M. James; Gee, Perry; Hughes, John P.; Tyson, J. Anthony; et al. (19 October 2011). "Discovery of a Dissociative Galaxy Cluster Merger with Large Physical Separation". The Astrophysical Journal Letters (published March 2012). 747 (2): 6. arXiv:1110.4391. Bibcode:2012ApJ...747L..42D. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/747/2/L42. S2CID 119244278. L42.
  3. Chandra X-Ray Observatory (12 April 2012). "DLSCL J0916.2+2951: Discovery of the Musket Ball Cluster". Harvard University.
  4. Mark Brown (13 April 2012). "The Musket Ball Cluster is 500 million years older than the Bullet Cluster". Wired. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  5. Will Dawson (6 May 2012). "Constraining Dark Matter with the Musket Ball Cluster". Will Dawson - Cosmology Research.
  6. Adam Mann (9 January 2013). "Galactic Pile-Up May Point to Mysterious New Dark Force in the Universe". Wired.
  7. Adam Mann (12 April 2012). "Galactic Collision May Contain Clues About Dark Matter". Wired.
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