IC 1101

IC 1101 is a supergiant elliptical galaxy at the center of the Abell 2029 galaxy cluster, approximately one billion light-years from Earth.

Elliptical galaxy: A galaxy with a smooth, rounded or elongated appearance and little organized structure in its stellar motions. IC 1101 belongs to this broad galaxy class.
Dynamical friction: A drag-like effect that slows a massive object moving through a background of stars or dark matter. It can draw massive galaxies toward a cluster’s center over time.
Abell 2029 central galaxy: The dominant galaxy at the center of the Abell 2029 cluster, identified as IC 1101. This names IC 1101 by its defining location and cluster role.
Galaxy size measurement: The estimation of a galaxy’s extent from the distribution of its observed light or matter. IC 1101’s quoted size varies with how its faint outskirts are defined.
Abell 2029: A massive galaxy cluster about one billion light-years away, centered on IC 1101. This is the galaxy cluster whose center IC 1101 occupies.
Galaxy merger: The gravitational interaction and eventual combination of two or more galaxies. Repeated mergers are a leading explanation for the growth of giant central galaxies.
Brightest cluster galaxy: The most luminous galaxy in a galaxy cluster, usually near its gravitational center. IC 1101 is the brightest and dominant galaxy in Abell 2029.
Surface brightness profile: A measurement of how an astronomical object's brightness changes with distance from its center. Its outer profile determines how much of IC 1101’s diffuse envelope is counted.
Galaxy cluster: A gravitationally bound system containing many galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter. Abell 2029 is the larger structure that places IC 1101 at its center.
Intracluster light: Diffuse starlight in a galaxy cluster that is not gravitationally bound to any single galaxy. Tidal stripping and mergers can contribute stars to the cluster’s diffuse light.

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