NASA image release November 12, 2010
Hubble's Dark Matter Map: Detailed Dark Matter Map Yields Clues to Galaxy Cluster Growth
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the distribution of dark matter in the center of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 1689, containing about 1,000 galaxies and trillions of stars.
Dark matter is an invisible form of matter that accounts for most of the universe's mass. Hubble cannot see the dark matter directly. Astronomers inferred its location by analyzing the effect of gravitational lensing, where light from galaxies behind Abell 1689 is distorted by intervening matter within the cluster.
Researchers used the observed positions of 135 lensed images of 42 background galaxies to calculate the location and amount of dark matter in the cluster. They superimposed a map of these inferred dark matter concentrations, tinted blue, on an image of the cluster taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. If the cluster's gravity came only from the visible galaxies, the lensing distortions would be much weaker. The map reveals that the densest concentration of dark matter is in the cluster's core.
Abell 1689 resides 2.2 billion light-years from Earth. The image was taken in June 2002.
Read more about this image here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/dark-matter-map...
Image credit: NASA, ESA, D. Coe (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, and Space Telescope Science Institute), N. Benitez (Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, Spain), T. Broadhurst (University of the Basque Country, Spain), and H. Ford (Johns Hopkins University)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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kadird, The Archimedean Age, k.kazantzoglou Life is full of surprises!!! :), ElDave, and 50 other people added this photo to their favorites.
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monicaflick 31 months ago | reply
exquisite!
GlennCantor (theskepticaloptimist) 31 months ago | reply
A marvelous image!
Andrea Malnar Photography 31 months ago | reply
Beautiful shot, one of the best so far!
mapping3 7 months ago | reply
who want to yahoomate to me.....to be my friends..............tnx.....