The Centaurus Cluster (A3526) is a cluster of hundreds of galaxies, located approximately 170 million light years away in the Centaurus constellation. The brightest member galaxy is the elliptical galaxy NGC 4696 (~11m). The Centaurus cluster shares its supercluster, the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster, with IC4329 Cluster and Hydra Cluster.
The cluster consists of two different sub-groups of galaxies with different velocities. Cen 30 is the main subgroup containing NGC 4696. Cen 45 is moving at 1500 km/s relative to Cen 30, and is believed to be merging with the main cluster.
Famous quotes containing the word cluster:
“The power to guess the unseen from the seen, to trace the implications of things, to judge the whole piece by the pattern, the condition of feeling life in general so completely that you are well on your way to knowing any particular corner of it—this cluster of gifts may almost be said to constitute experience.”
—Henry James (1843–1916)