Galaxy Cluster - Composition

Composition

There are three main components of a galaxy cluster. They are tabulated below:

Name of the components Mass fraction Description
Galaxies 1% In optical observations only galaxies are visible
Intergalactic gas in ICM 9% Plasma between the galaxies at high temperature. Emit x-ray radiation through thermal bremsstrahlung mechanism.
Dark matter 90% Most massive component, cannot be detected optically, inferred through gravitational interactions.

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