Astronomers find strange stuff in the space between two clusters of galaxies

By Stephen Ornes

Web edition: July 27, 2012

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It’s impossible to see with the naked eye, but astronomers say a bridge made of dark matter connects these two galaxy clusters.

Credit: ESA/ XMM-Newton/ EPIC/ ESO (J. Dietrich)/ SRON (N. Werner)/ MPE (A. Finoguenov)

Abell 222 is a giant group of galaxies in deep space. So is Abell 223 — one of Abell 222’s nearest neighbors. Each galaxy in each group is home to a massive number of stars, which means the clusters are brimming with light. But if you peer through a telescope at the space between the two galaxy clusters, you won’t see anything, just a dark patch of sky. The scenery would be the same if you could ride a spaceship from one group of galaxies to the other. 

The space between the two galaxy clusters is, however, anything but empty, according to a new study by astronomers.

Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story: An invisible cosmic bridge