A research team at the Potsdam Astrophysics Institute, Germany has made what looks to be a massive discovery. Using an orbiting telescope, the XMM-Newton, the team led by Georg Lamer spotted a massive cluster of galaxies that might just prove the existence of dark energy.

According to the European Space Agency:

The galaxy cluster is so big that there can only be a handful of them at that distance.

The cluster, which is imaginatively titled 2XMM J083026+524133 (its catalog number), is located some 7.7 billion light years from Earth, with a mass that is approximately 1000 times that of our own galaxy. According to Lamer, It is the existence of such a massive galaxy in such a distant region of the universe that suggests the existence of dark energy, a theoretical force that rapidly accelerates the expansion of the cosmos.

In his own words Lamer states:

Such massive galaxy clusters are thought to be rare objects in the distant universe. They can be used to test cosmological theories. The existence of the cluster can only be explained with dark energy.

If you are interested in learning more about dark energy or the galaxy cluster in question, Astronomy & Astrophysics. will feature the findings of Lamer and team in an upcoming issue.

Figure Legend

The title image is displays the newly discovered galaxy cluster, 2XMM J083026+524133, as the blue cloud near the center of the image. The location of the galaxy cluster is approximately 7.7 billion light years from earth and its existence is expected to help prove the existence of dark energy. iThe image was made by the European Space Agency’s orbiting X-ray telescope, the XMM-Newton.
[ABC]

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