Hubble Captures a Cosmic Leviathan

May 12. (EUROPE PRESS) –

Like a submerged sea monster causing waves on the surface, this galaxy cluster can be identified by the distortions in space-time around it captured by the Hubble telescope.

The enormous mass of this cosmic leviathan warps space-time, creating a gravitational lens that bends light from distant galaxies beyond the cluster. The twisted streaks and arcs of light that we see in this image are the result. A multitude of other galaxies surround the cluster, and a handful of foreground stars with telltale diffraction spikes are scattered throughout the image, explains NASA in a statement.

This particular galaxy cluster, named eMACS J1823.1+7822, lies nearly 9 billion light-years away in the constellation Draco. It is one of five exceptionally massive galaxy clusters that Hubble explored with the aim of measuring the strength of these gravitational lensing, which would provide information on the distribution of dark matter in galaxy clusters.

Strong gravitational lenses like eMACS J1823.1+7822 can help astronomers study distant galaxies by acting like large natural telescopes that magnify objects that would otherwise be too faint or distant to resolve.

This multi-wavelength image overlays data from eight different filters and two different instruments: Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3. Both instruments can see astronomical objects in only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum using filters, that allow astronomers to image objects at precisely selected wavelengths. Combining observations at different wavelengths allows astronomers to develop a more complete picture of an object’s structure, composition, and behavior than visible light alone would reveal.