Hercules Cluster

This article is about the cluster of galaxies Abell 2151. For the globular cluster of stars, see Messier 13.

The Hercules Cluster (Abell 2151) is a cluster of about 200 galaxies^[4] some 500 million light-years distant in the constellation Hercules. It is rich in spiral galaxies and shows many interacting galaxies.^[5] The cluster is part of the larger Hercules Supercluster, which is itself part of the much larger Great Wall super-structure.^[6]

Hercules Cluster
Observation data (Epoch J2000)
Constellation(s)	Hercules
Right ascension	16h 05m 15.0s[1]
Declination	+17° 44′ 55″[1]
Brightest member	NGC 6041
Number of galaxies	300[2]
Richness class	2[3]
Bautz–Morgan classification	III[3]
Redshift	0.03660 (10 972 km/s)[1]
Distance	156 Mpc (509 Mly) h−1 0.705 [1]
X-ray flux	(15.00 ± 12.5%)×10−12 erg s−1 cm−2 (0.1—2.4 keV) [1]
Other designations
Abell 2151

The cluster's brightest member is the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 6041.^[7]

See also

• Abell catalogue
• List of Abell clusters
• X-ray Astronomy

External links

• NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: The Hercules Cluster of Galaxies (July 19, 2007)
• NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: The Hercules Cluster of Galaxies (July 16, 2009)
• Hercules Cluster — University of Alabama
• The Hercules Cluster on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images