Above and Beyond: Galaxy Cluster Abell 68

 

 

Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach.

 

All images, illustrations, and videos courtesy of NASA except:

 

 

·       Gravitational lensing animations courtesy of G. Bacon & F. Summers (STScI) and NASA, ESA & L. Calçada

·       Taurus constellation drawing from Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia by Johannes Hevelius, courtesy of the United States Naval Observatory

·       Hubble orbit animation courtesy of G. Bacon (STScI)

·       Hubble Space Telescope slewing animation courtesy of ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen)

·       Simulation of a lens passing over the Hubble Deep Field courtesy of ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen)

·       Background star field courtesy of A. Feild (STScI)

·       Frontier Fields background star field images courtesy of the Digitized Sky Survey

·       Chandra spacecraft illustration courtesy of Northrop Grumman Corporation

·       Animation of the Hubble Space Telescope flying over Earth courtesy of ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser)

 

 

Written by Vanessa Thomas

Designed by Marc Lussier 

Music courtesy of Associated Production Music

(SPEECH)

[DOWNBEAT MUSIC]

 

(DESCRIPTION)

Cluster of bright white galaxies.

 

Text, Galaxy Cluster Abell 68. The arcs and streaks of light in this galaxy cluster, called Abell 68, are the magnified and distorted projections of galaxies lying far beyond the cluster.

 

One streak of light is circled.

 

Text, The light from the distant galaxies is bent and stretched by the cluster's powerful gravitational might.

 

A galaxy with two glowing red dots next to each other inside an oblong cloud of gas is circled.

 

Text, One galaxy's appearance is warped in a way that makes it resemble an evil-eyed alien invader.