It appears like glitter has been scattered in space in a photo shared by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The photo shows “scattered specks of light which are actually a cosmic menagerie of distant galaxies.” The giant cluster that they have specifically captured is called “Abell 1351,” which lies in the constellation Ursa Major in the Northern Hemisphere.
“The odd streaks of light are the result of gravitational lensing, a phenomenon that occurs when massive celestial bodies, such as a galaxy cluster, distort the gravity of space strongly enough to affect the path of light passing through it. The result: light appears to us as if it passed through a gigantic lens.” said NASA in their post.
According to NASA, photos such as this are vital for scientists in observing the large array of galaxies and investigating in finer detail of the space.
Two days ago, NASA also shared a photo of the constellation Sagittarius.
This image captured a cosmic treasure trove which the Hubble Space Telescope explored with both its Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys.
“Globular clusters are stable, tightly bound clusters containing tens of thousands to millions of stars and are associated with all types of galaxies. The intense gravitational attraction of these closely packed clusters of stars means that globular clusters have a regular spherical shape with a densely populated center, as seen at the heart of this star-studded image,” said NASA.
This observation comes from an investigation of globular clusters which lie close to the center of the Milky Way.
Observations like these are done by NASA to determine stellar evolution, and can give astronomers insights into their ages, compositions, and temperatures.
Netizens express amazement with the photos with one saying, “Looks like they dropped glitter in space.”
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