A Space-Time Magnifying Glass | Space Wallpaper

By Space.com Staff
published

Galaxy Cluster Abell S1077 1920
This fascinating space wallpaper shows Galaxy cluster Abell S1077, as seen by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA. Acknowledgement: N. Rose)

This fascinating space wallpaper shows galaxy cluster Abell S1077, as seen by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys. The cluster acts as a magnifying glass, its gravity high enough to warp even the fabric of space-time. This effect distorts the path that light from distant galaxies takes when it travels through the cluster, as can be seen here in the bright arcs smeared around the center of Abell S1077. This image was released by May 13, 2013.

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.