Galaxy cluster MACS 1206, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image. The vertical streak at centre right is a distant galaxy that has been distorted by gravi

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Galaxy cluster MACS 1206, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image. The vertical streak at centre right is a distant galaxy that has been distorted by gravitational lensing by the galaxy cluster. The way the backgrund galaxies are distorted suggests that there is a large amount of dark matter distributed evenly throughout the galaxy cluster. This cluster is located in the constellation Virgo, billion light years from Earth. Data obtained by the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Camera 3 on the HST.

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Size: 3123px × 2836px
Photo credit: © NASA/ESA/STScI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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