09h16m10.9s, +29° 48′44″| Musket Ball Cluster | |
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| Observation data (Epoch J2000.0[1]) | |
| Constellation(s) | Cancer |
| Right ascension | 09h16m 10.9s[1] |
| Declination | +29° 48′ 44″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.53[2] |
| Other designations | |
| Musket Ball Cluster,[3] DLSCL J0916.2+2951,[2] SHELS J0916.2+2949[1] | |
| See also: Galaxy group, Galaxy cluster, List of galaxy groups and clusters | |
The Musket Ball Cluster (DLSCL J0916.2+2951) is a galaxy cluster that exhibits separation between its baryonic matter and dark matter components. The cluster is a recent merger of two galaxy clusters. It is named after the Bullet Cluster, as it is a slower collision, and older than the Bullet Cluster. This cluster is further along the process of merger than the Bullet Cluster,[3] being some 500 million years older, at 700 million years old.[4] The cluster was discovered in 2011 by the Deep Lens Survey.[2] As of 2012, it is one of the few galaxy clusters to show separation between its dark matter and baryonic matter components.[5]
As of 2012, it is one of seven galaxy clusters that exhibit separation of dark matter and baryonic matter following cluster collision and merger.[3] The separation between the galaxies and their dark matter components is on average 19,000 light-years (5,800 pc). This separation may indicate that dark matter may interact with itself, through a dark force (a force that only interacts with dark matter) or a set of dark forces.[6] The galaxy cluster itself is some 8 million light-years (2.5 Mpc) across.[7]
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