Image of the Hubble Space Telescope of the huge Abell Galaxy galaxy 1351. Credits: ESA / Hubble & NASA, H. Ebeling, Recognition: L. Shatz The huge Abell 1351 galaxy cluster is captured in this image by NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope 3 and Advanced Camera. This cluster of galaxies is located in the constellation Ursa Major in the northern hemisphere. This image is filled with streaks of light, which are actually images of distant galaxies. The streaks are the result of gravitational lensing, an astrophysical phenomenon that occurs when a huge celestial body such as a cluster of galaxies deforms space-time strongly enough to affect the path of light passing through it – almost as if light were passing through a giant lens. The gravitational lens is available in two varieties – strong and weak – and both can give astronomers an idea of the mass distribution within a cluster of galaxies with a lens like Abell 1351. This observation is part of an astronomical album that includes snapshots of some of the most massive galaxy clusters. This massive cluster of ostriches displays interesting astrophysical phenomena, such as the powerful gravitational lens, as well as spectacular examples of violent evolution of galaxies. To obtain this astronomical album, astronomers proposed a Snapshot Schedule to be included in the full Hubble Observation Schedule. These snapshots are lists of separate, relatively short reports that can fit into gaps between larger Hubble comments. With a large pool of candidate snapshots for diving, Hubble can utilize every second of possible observation time and maximize the observatory’s scientific performance.
