Merging Galaxy Cluster Abell 3667 in Pavo | Victor Blanco Telescope
Abell 3667—an actively merging galaxy cluster—is featured in this image assembled from over 28 hours of observations with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab.
Within Abell 3667, two smaller galaxy clusters are actively merging together, evidenced by the glowing bridge (yellow) of stars stretching across the center of this image. This bridge connects the hearts of the two galaxy clusters, known as their brightest cluster galaxies, and forms out of material stripped from the galaxies as they merge to form one massive conglomerate.
Galaxy clusters are among the largest structures in our Universe, consisting of hundreds or thousands of galaxies that have become gravitationally bound together over billions of years. Astrophysicists have long been eager to understand the formation of these imposing structures. The histories of galaxy clusters not only help us understand how the Universe formed, but they also provide constraints on the properties of dark matter—an invisible material that does not emit or reflect light and is found in high concentrations around clusters of galaxies.
One clue astronomers look for to understand the history of a galaxy cluster is intracluster light—the faint glow emitted by stars that have been stripped from their original galaxies by the immense gravity of a forming galaxy cluster. These stars serve as whispering evidence of past galactic interactions, though most existing telescopes and cameras struggle to capture them.
Learn about the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/victor-blanco-4m-telescope
Acknowledgment: PI: Anthony Englert (Brown University)
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF NOIRLab)
Release Date: Aug. 5, 2025
#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #GalaxyClusters #Abell3667 #Pavo #Constellation #DarkMatter #IntraclusterLight #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #VictorBlancoTelescope #CTIO #CerroTololo #Chile #NOIRLab #NSF #DECam #DOE #AURA #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
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