NASA to Unveil Record-Breaking Galaxy Cluster Find Today

This composite image of X-ray and optical data shows the remnant of supernova 1E 0102.2-7219, about 190,000 light-years away in the Small Magellanic Cloud. CREDIT: NASA/CXC/MIT/D.Dewey et al. & NASA/CXC/SAO/J.DePasquale)

NASA today (Aug. 15) will hold a press conference to unveil the discovery of an apparently record-breaking galaxy cluster.

The teleconference with reporters will begin at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) on Wednesday "to discuss an extraordinary galaxy cluster that is smashing several important cosmic records," NASA officials said in a statement.

The discovery was apparently made by astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, a space telescope specifically aimed at probing the universe in the X-ray range of the light spectrum, according to a NASA announcement.

A NASA spokesman told SPACE.com that the announcement will detail the results of a study that will appear in this week's edition of the journal Nature. Wednesday's teleconference will feature several panelists to discuss the new galaxy cluster discovery. They include:

• Michael McDonald, Hubble Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
• Bradford Benson, astrophysicist, University of Chicago
• Megan Donahue, professor of astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Martin Rees, professor of cosmology and astrophysics, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

NASA will stream audio of Wednesday's galaxy cluster teleconference live here: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

The general public will also be able to submit questions to the teleconference panelists via Twitter by using the hashtag #asknasa, space agency officials said.

Visit SPACE.com on at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) on Wednesday, Aug. 15, for complete coverage of NASA's record-breaking galaxy cluster announcement.

This story was updated to correct the date of Wednesday's teleconference in the first paragraph.

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