Berenice's Hair Cluster (Coma Cluster) - A Massive Galaxy Cluster in Coma Berenices

Basic Information

• Name: Coma Cluster (Berenice's Hair Cluster).
• Type: Galaxy Cluster.
• Location: Constellation Coma Berenices.
• Distance from Earth: Approximately 308 million light-years.
• Number of Galaxies: Contains at least 10,000 galaxies, primarily elliptical galaxies with some spirals.
• Brightest Members: NGC 4889 and NGC 4874, both supergiant elliptical galaxies.

Physical Characteristics

• The Coma Cluster is one of the largest known galaxy clusters, spanning several million light-years across.
• NGC 4889, one of its brightest members, is a supergiant elliptical galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center, estimated to have a mass of 21 billion solar masses.
• The cluster is rich in dark matter, as evidenced by the gravitational effects observed on its galaxies and surrounding gas.
• The galaxies in the cluster are surrounded by hot, X-ray-emitting gas, which is a common feature of massive galaxy clusters.

Discovery and History

• The Coma Cluster has been studied extensively and played a significant role in the discovery of dark matter. The motion of its galaxies could not be explained by visible matter alone, leading to the hypothesis of unseen mass.
• NGC 4889 was discovered in the late 18th century and is one of the most studied galaxies in the cluster.
• The cluster is named after the constellation Coma Berenices, which itself is named after Queen Berenice II of Egypt, who, according to legend, sacrificed her hair to the gods.

Observational Highlights

• Visibility: Best observed during the spring months in the Northern Hemisphere when Coma Berenices is high in the sky.
• Best Observing Tools: A large telescope is required to view the galaxies in the cluster, as most have an apparent magnitude of 13 or fainter.
• Nearby Objects: The Coma Cluster is located near the Coma Star Cluster (Melotte 111), a nearby open star cluster in the same constellation.

Interesting Facts

1. Dark Matter Discovery: The Coma Cluster was pivotal in the discovery of dark matter, as the visible mass of its galaxies could not account for their observed gravitational effects.
2. NGC 4889's Black Hole: The supermassive black hole at the center of NGC 4889 is one of the largest known, with a mass equivalent to billions of suns.
3. Rich Galaxy Population: The cluster contains thousands of galaxies, making it one of the densest regions of galaxies in the observable universe.

How to Locate the Coma Cluster

1. Find Coma Berenices: The constellation lies between Leo and Boötes. Draw a line from the bright star Arcturus in Boötes to Denebola in Leo, and the cluster is roughly in the middle.
2. Use a Star Map: A detailed star map or astronomy app can help pinpoint the location of the Coma Cluster.
3. Enhance Visibility: Observing from a dark-sky location with a telescope of at least 12-inch aperture is essential to view the faint galaxies in the cluster.

Personal Note

While capturing the image, there was immense amount of light pollution. I had to edit quite a lot to get them out of the frame. GIMP had the best contribution in this case. Now coming to the capture, I simply say that the cluster was about 316 million light years away, which would make this my furthest capture till date. However, the amazing bit is that the light specs in the image can be mistaken as stars, each spec is about a million or even billions of stars, i.e., each spec is a galaxy containing numerous stars. Just take a moment to think, the image only focused on a small bit of the night sky, but that small bit contains may be thousands of galaxies, each with more than a million stars. The image might not be much significant at the first glance, but when you know, you do know.