Galactic extinction and Abell clusters

Abstract

In this paper, we present the results of comparing the angular distribution of Abell clusters with Galactic HI measurements. For most subsamples of clusters considered, their positions on the sky appear to be anti-correlated with respect to the distribution of HI column densities. The statistical significance of these observed anti-correlations is a function of both richness and distance class, with the more distant and/or richest systems having the highest significance (~3 sigma). The lower richness, nearby clusters appear to be randomly distributed compared to the observed Galactic HI column density.