Astronomy & Space Science · AST-557
The Intracluster Medium: Structures & Vocabulary
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Structure
Structure of The Intracluster Medium
The intracluster medium contains electrons and ions at temperatures of millions to tens of millions of kelvins. Its density rises toward cluster centers, and its pressure interacts with radio bubbles, shocks, cold fronts, and gas stripped from member galaxies.
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- 01The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies — SummaryOpen source ↗
OpenStax Astronomy 2e
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Most ordinary matter in a rich galaxy cluster is not locked in stars; it resides in a diffuse, extremely hot ionized plasma called the intracluster medium.
supported · checked Sep 22, 2026X-ray telescopes map gas temperature and density, microwave observations measure the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich signal, and spectra reveal metals injected by generations of stars and supernovae.
supported · checked Sep 22, 2026Gas falling into the cluster's deep gravitational potential is shock-heated.
supported · checked Sep 22, 2026