Fornax Cluster


The Fornax Cluster is a cluster of galaxies lying at a distance of 19 megaparsecs. It is the second richest galaxy cluster within 100 million light-years, after the considerably larger Virgo Cluster, and may be associated with the nearby Eridanus Group. It lies primarily in the constellation Fornax, with its southern boundaries partially crossing into the constellation of Eridanus, and covers an area of sky about 6° across or about 28 sq degrees. The Fornax cluster is a part of larger Fornax Wall.
The Fornax Cluster is a particularly valuable source of information about the evolution of such clusters due to its relatively close proximity to the Sun. It also shows the gravitational effects of a merger of a galaxy subgroup with the main galaxy group, which in turn lends clues about the associated galactic superstructure. At the centre of the cluster lies NGC 1399. Other cluster members include NGC 1316, NGC 1365, NGC 1427A, NGC 1427 and NGC 1404.

Structure

Fornax can be divided into two subclusters: the main one, centered on NGC 1399, and a subgroup 3 degrees to the southwest centered on the lenticular galaxy NGC 1316 that is in the process of infalling with the largest subcluster to finally merge with it, and whose galaxies are experiencing strong star formation activity.

Intracluster medium

As with many other galaxy clusters, Fornax intracluster medium is filled with a hot, rarefied gas that emits X-rays. and contains a number of intergalactic stars, some of which have produced novae.

List of cluster members