While conducting studies using the ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, a team of astronomers recently discovered an unusual, overstuffed type of globular star clusters in orbit around the giant elliptical galaxy Centaurus A (NGC 5128) that may be packed with dark matter.
The Observatory refers to these objects as a new class of “dark” globular star clusters, and many are brighter and more massive than the approximately 150 clusters currently orbiting the Milky Way. The clusters may contain a tremendous amount of dark matter, as mentioned above, or they may have a massive black hole hidden in their midst, according to Space.com.
“Globular clusters and their constituent stars are keys to understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies,” explained lead author Matt Taylor, a Ph. D. student at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile whose work has been published by The Astrophysical Journal.
No comments:
Post a Comment