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Collection:
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NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
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Title:
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A Cosmic Magnifying Glass
Title
A Cosmic Magnifying Glass
Title
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Full Description:
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Scanning the heavens for the first time since the successful December 1999 servicing mission, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope imaged a giant, cosmic magnifying glass, a massive cluster of galaxies called Abell 2218. This 'hefty' cluster resides in the constellation Draco, some 2 billion light-years from Earth. The cluster is so massive that its enormous gravitational field deflects light rays passing through it, much as an optical lens bends light to form an image. This phenomenon, called gravitational lensing, magnifies, brightens, and distorts images from faraway objects. The cluster's magnifying powers provides a powerful "zoom lens" for viewing distant galaxies that could not normally be observed with the largest telescopes. The picture is dominated by spiral and elliptical galaxies. Resembling a string of tree lights, the biggest and brightest galaxies are members of the foreground cluster. Researchers are intrigued by a tiny red dot just left of top center. This dot may be an extremely remote object made visible by the cluster's magnifying powers. Further investigation is needed to confirm the object's identity. The color picture already reveals several arc-shaped features that are embedded in the cluster and cannot be easily seen in the black-and- white image. The colors in this picture yield clues to the ages, distances, and temperatures of stars, the stuff of galaxies. Blue pinpoints hot young stars. The yellow-white color of several of the galaxies represents the combined light of many stars. Red identifies cool stars, old stars, and the glow of stars in distant galaxies. This view is only possible by combining Hubble's unique image quality with the rare lensing effect provided by the magnifying cluster.
Full_Description
Scanning the heavens for the first time since the successful December 1999 servicing mission, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope imaged a giant, cosmic magnifying glass, a massive cluster of galaxies called Abell 2218. This 'hefty' cluster resides in the constellation Draco, some 2 billion light-years from Earth. The cluster is so massive that its enormous gravitational field deflects light rays passing through it, much as an optical lens bends light to form an image. This phenomenon, called gravitational lensing, magnifies, brightens, and distorts images from faraway objects. The cluster's magnifying powers provides a powerful "zoom lens" for viewing distant galaxies that could not normally be observed with the largest telescopes. The picture is dominated by spiral and elliptical galaxies. Resembling a string of tree lights, the biggest and brightest galaxies are members of the foreground cluster. Researchers are intrigued by a tiny red dot just left of top center. This dot may be an extremely remote object made visible by the cluster's magnifying powers. Further investigation is needed to confirm the object's identity. The color picture already reveals several arc-shaped features that are embedded in the cluster and cannot be easily seen in the black-and- white image. The colors in this picture yield clues to the ages, distances, and temperatures of stars, the stuff of galaxies. Blue pinpoints hot young stars. The yellow-white color of several of the galaxies represents the combined light of many stars. Red identifies cool stars, old stars, and the glow of stars in distant galaxies. This view is only possible by combining Hubble's unique image quality with the rare lensing effect provided by the magnifying cluster.
Full Description
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Date:
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01/11/2000
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NASA Center:
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Hubble Space Telescope Center
NASA_Center
Hubble Space Telescope Center
NASA Center
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Subject Category:
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Deep Space Studies
Subject_Category
Deep Space Studies
Subject Category
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Subject Category:
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Hubble
Subject_Category
Hubble
Subject Category
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Keywords:
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Space
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Keywords:
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Telescope
Keywords
Telescope
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Hubble
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Keywords:
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HST
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Keywords:
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Draco
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Keywords:
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Abell
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Keywords:
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Gravitational
Keywords
Gravitational
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Lensing
Keywords
Lensing
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Spiral
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Keywords:
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Elliptical
Keywords
Elliptical
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Galaxies
Keywords
Galaxies
Keywords
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Audience:
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General Public
Audience
General Public
Audience
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Draco
facet_what
Draco
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
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facet_when:
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December 1999
facet_when
December 1999
facet_when
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facet_when:
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01-11-2000
facet_when
01-11-2000
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1999
facet_when_year
1999
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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2000
facet_when_year
2000
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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PR00-08
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original_url:
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original_url
original_url
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UID:
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SPD-GRIN-GPN-2000-00 0886
UID
SPD-GRIN-GPN-2000-00 0886
UID
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Center:
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HSTI
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Center Number:
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PR00-08
Center_Number
PR00-08
Center Number
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GRIN DataBase Number:
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GPN-2000-000886
GRIN_DataBase_Number
GPN-2000-000886
GRIN DataBase Number
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Creator-Photographer:
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NASA, A. Fruchter and the ERO Team, STScI, ST-ECF
Creator-Photographer
NASA, A. Fruchter and the ERO Team, STScI, ST-ECF
Creator-Photographer
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Original Source:
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DIGITAL
Original_Source
DIGITAL
Original Source
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