Galaxy cluster Abell 370 (IMAGE)

University of Arizona

Galaxy cluster Abell 370

Caption

Abell 370, a galaxy cluster located nearly 4 billion light-years away from Earth features several arcs of light, including the "Dragon Arc" (lower left of center). These arcs are caused by gravitational lensing: Light from distant galaxies far behind the massive galaxy cluster coming toward Earth is bent around Abell 370 by its massive gravity, resulting in contorted images.

Credit

NASA

Usage Restrictions

No restrictions.

License

Public Domain

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