The distant galaxy cluster, known as Gioiello, was weighed with the help of NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

Dec 19, 2014 08:58 GMT  ·  By

Should a wacky cosmic edition of “The Biggest Loser” ever be organized, there is little doubt that the Gioiello galaxy cluster would be a competitor on it. Thus, it looks like this distant star system is nothing if not freakishly massive.

Not to beat about the bush, researchers with NASA say that, having taken the time to go through data obtained with the help of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, a space telescope launched back in 1999, they found the cluster to pack the mass equivalent of 400 trillion Suns.

Just to put things into perspective, it must be said that our Sun is estimated to have a mass of about 1.989 x 1030 kilograms. This means that it is a whopping 333,000 times heavier than our good old planet and holds 99.8% of the total mass of the Solar System.

If you can wrap your head around this figure, try multiplying it by 400 trillion and you'll get a better idea of just how ginormous the Gioiello galaxy cluster is. If you can't, just take our word for it: this cluster that astronomers managed to weigh is a mammoth cosmic system through and through.

Introducing the Gionella galaxy cluster

For those unaware, galaxy clusters are basically groups of galaxies that are bound together by gravity. Scientists say that, whereas some clusters comprise merely a few hundred such star systems, others pack thousands of them.

If you're thinking that galaxy clusters are the absolute biggest structures of the cosmos, think again. The universe is home to even bigger systems. They are known as superclusters, and as you've probably guessed by now, they are made up of galaxy groups and clusters.

The Gioiello galaxy cluster is estimated to have formed some 3.3 billion years following the Big Bang. It is located at a distance of about 9.6 billion light-years from our planet and measures as much as 6.2 million light-years across.

NASA astronomers say that, all things considered, Gioiello is pretty much the most massive young cluster to have until now been found and studied by the global scientific community.

Scientists believe that Gioiello grew to this impressive size after colliding with several somewhat smaller clusters and engulfing them. What's interesting is that, in time, the system stands to get even more complex. This is because many of the galaxies that comprise it are now forming new stars.

How the cluster got its nickname

This distant galaxy cluster is not really named Gioiello. On the contrary, its official moniker is XDCP J0044.0-2033. Apparently, scientists saw fit to nickname it Gioiello, which translates as “jewel” in Italian, after catching a glimpse of the sparkling colors and bright lights produced by its galaxies.

Besides, astronomers first met to present and discuss Chandra data concerning this cluster at a 15th century villa known as Villa il Gioiello. This too explains why, rather than being called XDCP J0044.0-2033, the cluster is most often referred to as Gioiello.

Scientists use space telescope to weigh galaxy cluster (5 Images)

Composite image of the cluster
X-ray imageInfrared image
+2more