X-ray observations made by the Suzaku observatory provide the clearest picture to date of the size, mass and chemical content of a nearby cluster of galaxies. The study also provides the first direct evidence that million-degree gas clouds are tightly gathered in the cluster’s outskirts
The most abundant elements in our Universe are hydrogen and helium, but these cosmic lightweights fill only two spots on the periodic table. Recently astronomers discovered the largest known reservoir of rare metals in the Universe.
The joint Japan-U.S. Suzaku mission is providing new insight into how assemblages of thousands of galaxies pull themselves together. For the first time, Suzaku has detected X-ray-emitting gas at a cluster’s outskirts, where a billion-year plunge to the center begins.
