Galaxy Cluster Abell 3827: Our Giant Universe | Hubble Space Telescope

Galaxy Cluster Abell 3827: Our Giant Universe | Hubble Space Telescope

This detailed image features Abell 3827, a galaxy cluster that offers a wealth of exciting possibilities for study. It was observed by Hubble in order to study dark matter. This is one of the greatest puzzles cosmologists face today. The science team used Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) to complete their observations. The two cameras have unique specifications and can observe distinct parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, so this allowed astronomers to collect additional information. Abell 3827 has also been observed previously by Hubble, due to the interesting gravitational lens at its core. 

Looking at this cluster of hundreds of galaxies, it is amazing to recall that until less than 100 years ago, many astronomers thought that the Milky Way was the only galaxy in the Universe. The possibility of other galaxies had been debated previously, but the matter was not truly settled until Edwin Hubble confirmed that the Great Andromeda Nebula was in fact far too distant to be part of the Milky Way. The Great Andromeda Nebula became the Andromeda Galaxy, and astronomers recognized that our Universe was much, much larger than humanity had imagined. We can only imagine how Edwin Hubble—after whom the Hubble Space Telescope was named—would have felt if he had seen this spectacular image of Abell 3827.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Massey

Release Date: May 3, 2021

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