Incredible New Image Shows Two Galaxy Clusters Colliding

Space





Photo credit:

NASA, ESA, CXC, NRAO/AUI/NSF, STScI, and G. Ogrean (Stanford University), Acknowledgment: NASA, ESA, and J. Lotz (STScI), and the HFF team

This kaleidoscopic image of twinkling stars and cosmic hazes shows the site of a colossal collision of two galaxy clusters, coming together to form a single entity known as MACS J0416.1-2403.

Galaxy clusters can be made up of thousands of galaxies, along with hot gas and dark matter, bound together by gravity. Under the right circumstances, these clusters can collide and clump together, creating a larger galaxy cluster.