Star cluster thrown out of galaxy at speed of more than 2 million mph

Fox News ^ | April 30, 2014 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Astronomers say they have discovered a star cluster that has been thrown in the direction of Earth at a speed of more than two million miles per hour.

The cluster, named HVGC-1, originated in the M87 galaxy and is expected to endlessly drift through space, rocketing through the voids between other galaxies.

"Astronomers have found runaway stars before, but this is the first time we've found a runaway star cluster," said Nelson Caldwell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who is the lead author on a study which is set to be published in the The Astrophysical Journal.

HVGC stands for hypervelocity globular cluster. These clusters are groupings of thousands of stars contained inside a ball a few dozen light-years across.

The team found HVGC-1 using the MMT Telescope in Arizona after spending years studying the space around M87. A computer then calculated the speed of the cluster.

"We didn't expect to find anything moving that fast," said Jay Strader of Michigan State University, who is a co-author of the study.

The Milky Way Galaxy holds around 150 globular clusters, while the M87 galaxy holds thousands, according to a news release from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Astronomers believe HVGC-1 could have reached its current speed after passing through two supermassive black holes at the center of M87, which acted like a slingshot, flinging the cluster away.

[dr_lew]

The artist's rendition can only be described as "fanciful".

The basis for this discovery is described in a paper, which is available in pdf format at this link.

Here's Figure 2 of the paper, showing an image of the object ( inset ) and the spectral classification according to the "uiK" system, analogous to "RGB" and other color systems. The blue and red objects are "high" and "low" velocity objects, and the diagram serves to justify the classification of this object as an HVGC.

Note that the velocity is of course measured along the line of sight, so it by no means implies that it's "coming right at us." Also note that the inset image is "archival", from the Canada France Hawaii Telescope .

[GATOR NAVY]

You haven’t missed anything-2 million mph sounds crazy fast but it is only about 0.003 speed of light.

[editor-surveyor]

Nothing “passes through” any black hole. Light itself cannot escape one.

[MUDDOG]

Have you ever been thrown out of a galaxy, Mr. Charles?

[editor-surveyor]

2 million mph is a snail’s pace compared to the speed of light.

[Texan5]

Sorry and thanks-I realized that like 2 minutes after typing it without counting my zeros-all I can say is DUH!

[First_Salute]

Funny: “only 0.003”

Nickname for the thing: PUTT PUTT MARU

Noisy, steam-powered monster, groaning across the void.

[BlueDragon]

These clusters are groupings of thousands of stars contained inside a ball a few dozen light-years across.

Don Ho; Tiny Bubbles [last fm]

[mdmathis6]

555.6 miles per second....near relativistic speeds .035c.

Should be interesting time effects relative to surrounding slower space objects.

[SunkenCiv]

Okay, ya got me. I give.

http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0001550/quotes

[SunkenCiv]

;’)

[MUDDOG]

From “After the Thin Man”:

Lichee Club Owner: Have you ever been thrown out of a place, Mr. Charles?

Nick Charles: Let’s see. How many was it up to yesterday, Mrs. Charles?

Nora Charles: Well, uh, how many places were you in, Mr. Charles?

[minnesota_bound]

HVGC-1: I got thrown out of a galaxy in M87. Now when I say I got thrown out of M87, I don’t mean they asked me to leave, and we walked to the edge of forever together, and I said, “Bye, everybody, I gotta go.” Six star bouncers hurled my cluster out of there like I was Frisbee (one of Earth’s leading intellects).......

Ron White & a Twilight Zone ref.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ron_White

[SunkenCiv]

Slingshot style.

[mdmathis6]

oooops.....0.0029 light speed. Mars in 18 hours...Sol in 46 hours....the moon in 50 minutes...mild time dilation effects...communications would be interesting in terms of Doppler effects on frequency...it would have to be digital...analog would sound funny. If we could do ships that could reach 555m/ps the solar system would be doable...pluto in 1500 hours or 2 months. 20 to 30 days to Jupiter and Saturn depending on position....slingshot effects at 555mps could add 3 or 4 multiples of velocity to one’s craft....perhaps near 0.1c

[SunkenCiv]

Good call... (rustling noise)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140430121112.htm

Thanks factoryrat.

[TigersEye]

The Tater Cluster!

[TigersEye]

Correction: The Tater Salad Cluster!

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

That’s even faster than this;

“One million miles an hour headed out to where the down boys go”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb2Q0QMqT34

[mikrofon]

Not to worry, NASA will assemble a crack team
to stop this object hurt-ling through the Cosmos...