By ESA / Hubble on June 19, 2022
Image of the Hubble Space Telescope from the huge cluster of Abell galaxies 1351. Credit: ESA / Hubble and NASA, H. Ebeling, Acknowledgment: L. Shatz
The huge cluster of galaxies Abell 1351 is captured in this image by the wide field camera 3 and the advanced probe camera from NASA / ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope. This cluster of galaxies is located in the constellation Ossa Major in the northern hemisphere.
This image is full of light streaks, which are actually images of distant galaxies. Stripes are the result of the gravitational lensing, an astrophysical phenomenon that occurs when a massive celestial body like a cluster of galaxies distorts space-time hard enough to affect the path of light passing through it, almost as if the light passed through a giant lens. Gravitational lenses come in two varieties: strong and weak, and both can give astronomers an insight into the distribution of mass within a cluster of lens galaxies such as Abell 1351.
This observation is part of an astronomical album that includes snapshots of some of the most massive galaxy clusters. This series of massive clusters demonstrates interesting astrophysical phenomena such as a strong gravitational lens, as well as showing spectacular examples of the violent evolution of galaxies.
To obtain this astronomical album, astronomers proposed a snapshot program that would be incorporated into Hubble’s observation program. These snapshot programs are lists of separate, relatively short exposures that can fit in the gaps between Hubble’s longest observations. Having a large group of Snapshot candidates to dive into allows Hubble to use every possible second of observation time and maximize the observatory’s scientific output.