Old Stars: Denizens Of Deep Space
Peering deep into space and time, the Hubble Space Telescope has taken a 10-day exposure of a patch of the southern sky to reveal a dazzling population of galaxies at various stages of evolution. Some of the objects, never before seen, appear as they existed an estimated 10 to 12 billion years ago, when the universe was only 10 percent of its current age.
New Photo from Hubble Space Telescope of the Southern Sky
A Astronomers think this is an example of a phenomenon known as a gravitational lens, in which light from B a more distant galaxy (faint blue arc) is magnified by the strong gravitational force of a nearer galaxy.
C A stunning jewel, this may be two or more galaxies in collision, on the way to developing a spiral shape. The reddish tint may indicate older stars, starlight scattered by dust or very distant starlight stretched to redder wavelengths by the universe's expansion. D and E are other examples of young galaxies merging.
F One of many beautiful pinwheel-shape galaxies, somewhat like the Milky Way galaxy that includes Earth.
Sources: NASA, Hubble Deep Field South
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