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EntityQ16001297· pop 5· linked from 185 articles

Also known as Abell 2261 Brightest Cluster Galaxy

A2261-BCG (short for Abell 2261 Brightest Cluster Galaxy) is a supergiant elliptical galaxy in the galaxy cluster Abell 2261. One of the largest galaxies known, A2261-BCG is estimated to have an isophotal diameter of about , roughly 6 times larger than the Milky Way. It is the brightest and most massive galaxy in the cluster, and has one of the largest galactic cores ever observed, spanning over 10,000 light-years.

Wikidata facts

Constellation
Hercules
Show 8 more facts
redshift
0.22291
right ascension
260.6132710
declination
32.1325700
apparent magnitude
14.512
radial velocity
59609
epoch
J2000.0
catalog code
[ZEH2003] RX J1722.4+3207 1
galaxy morphological type
cD

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Encyclopedic overview

3 sections
Contents
  • Possible supermassive black hole
  • Notes
  • References

A2261-BCG (short for Abell 2261 Brightest Cluster Galaxy) is a supergiant elliptical galaxy in the galaxy cluster Abell 2261. One of the largest galaxies known, A2261-BCG is estimated to have an isophotal diameter of about , roughly 6 times larger than the Milky Way. It is the brightest and most massive galaxy in the cluster, and has one of the largest galactic cores ever observed, spanning over 10,000 light-years.

The cD elliptical galaxy, located at from Earth, is also well known as a radio source. Its core is highly populated by a dense number of old stars, but is mysteriously diffuse, giving it a large core.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “A2261-BCG” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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