Abell 2667
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| Abell 2667 | |
|---|---|
 Abell 2667 from Hubble Space Telescope. Comet Galaxy is top-left (blue). | |
| Observation data (Epoch J2000) | |
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Right ascension | 23h 51m 42s[1] |
| Declination | −26° 00′ 00″[1] |
| Richness class | 3[2] |
| Bautz–Morgan classification | I [2] |
| Redshift | 0.23000[3] |
| Distance | 927 Mpc (3,023 Mly) h−1 0.705[3] |
Abell 2667 is a galaxy cluster. It is one of the most luminous galaxy clusters in the X-ray waveband known at a redshift about 0.2 and is a well-known gravitational lens.
On 2 March 2007, a team of astronomers reported the detection of the Comet Galaxy in this cluster. [4] This galaxy is being ripped apart by the cluster's gravitational field and harsh environment. The finding sheds light on the mysterious process by which gas-rich spiral-shaped galaxies might evolve into gas-poor irregular or elliptical-shaped galaxies over billions of years.
Abell 2667 is similar to many other low-redshift and cool-core galaxy clusters in terms of the cooling processes that happen at its center, which consists of a brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) and a supermassive black hole (SMBH).[5]
Abell 2667 acts as an intense gravitational telescope, lensing red-shifted galaxies behind it.[6] Although the warped galaxies may appear to be part of this galaxy cluster, they are in fact significantly more distant.[7]
