The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOIRLab) has published a stunning image of deep space. It shows the galaxy cluster Abell 3754.
Abell 3754 is located about 200 million light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Centaurus. It is a gravitationally bound group consisting of hundreds of galaxies, many of which resemble our Milky Way.
Galaxy clusters are the second largest structures known in the Universe. But even with their enormous size, their members are never too far apart. In the upper left corner, you can see the large galaxy IC 4329. It is surrounded by rings of light, evidence of a past collision.
On the right side of the image, fragments of glowing blue and white gas can be seen. They are evidence of a similar collision experienced by the galaxy NGC 5291 (the yellow object).
The image of Abell 3754 was obtained using the 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera (DECam) installed on the 4-meter Victor Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. It is one of the most advanced astronomical instruments of our time. The camera is capable of capturing detailed images of faint astronomical objects and revealing subtle patterns in the cosmic structure caused by the influence of dark energy and dark matter.
You can also read about how James Webb studied galaxies from the early Universe.
According to NOIRLab
