Constellation(s) Fornax Declination -35° 27′ Number of galaxies 58 | Right ascension 3 38 Brightest member NGC 1316 | |
 | ||
The Fornax Cluster is a cluster of galaxies lying at a distance of 62 million light-years (19 megaparsecs). It is the second richest galaxy cluster within 100 million light-years, after the considerably larger Virgo Cluster. It lies primarily in the constellation Fornax, and may be associated with the nearby Eridanus Group. The Fornax Cluster is a valuable source of information about the evolution of such clusters, showing the effects of a merger of a subgroup with the main 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 (the group's brightest galaxy), NGC 1365, NGC 1427A, and NGC 1404.
Contents
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.