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Galaxy Clusters Abell S1063 and MACS J0416.1-2403

Galaxy Clusters Abell S1063 and MACS J0416.1-2403

Tracing Diffuse Starlight in Galaxy Clusters

Two massive galaxy clusters — Abell S1063 (left) and MACS J0416.1-2403 (right) — display a soft blue haze, called intracluster light, embedded among innumerable galaxies. The intracluster light is produced by orphan stars that no longer belong to any single galaxy, having been thrown loose during a violent galaxy interaction, and now drift freely throughout the cluster of galaxies. Astronomers have found that intracluster light closely matches with a map of mass distribution in the cluster's overall gravitational field. This makes the blue "ghost light" a good indicator of how invisible dark matter is distributed in the cluster. Dark matter is a key missing link in our understanding of the structure and evolution of the universe. Abell S1063 and MACS J0416.1-2403 were the strongest examples of intracluster light providing a much better match to the cluster's mass map than X-ray light, which has been used in the past to trace dark matter.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    Abell S1063 and MACS J0416 are part of the Frontier Fields Program. These data are from the HST proposals 12458 (PI: M. Postman, STScI), 13459 (PI: T. Treu, UCLA), 14037 (PI: J. Lotz, STScI), and 14209 (PI: B. Siana, UC Riverside).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    ACS/WFC, WFC3/IR
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    December 2005 - May 2016
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    ACS/WFC: F435W, F606W, F814W; WFC3/IR: F105W, F125W, F140W, and F160W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Abell S1063 and MACS J0416.1-2403
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Galaxy Clusters
  • Release Date
    December 20, 2018
  • Science Release
    Faint Glow Within Galaxy Cluster Illuminates Dark Matter
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, and M. Montes (University of New South Wales)

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Galaxy Clusters Abell S1063 and MACS J0416.1-2403
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are composites of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/IR and ACS/WFC instruments. Several filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: ACS/WFC F435W (B) + F606W (R) Green: ACS/WFC F814W (I) + WFC3/IR F105W (Y) Red: WFC3/IR F125W (J) + F140W (JH) + F160W (H)

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Compass Image for Intracluster Light in Galaxy Clusters Abell S1063 and MACS J0416.1-2403

Compass Image for Intracluster Light in Galaxy Clusters Abell S1063 and MACS J0416.1-2403

Abell S1063

Abell S1063

Tracing Diffuse Starlight in Galaxy Cluster Abell S1063 Hubble's powerful sensitivity and resolution captures a soft blue haze, called intracluster light, among innumerable galaxies in the Abell S1063 cluster. The stars producing this glow have been thrown out from their...

MACS J0416.1-2403

MACS J0416.1-2403

Tracing Diffuse Starlight in Galaxy Cluster MACS J0416.1-2403 Amid the bright light of its member galaxies, the galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1-2403 also emits a soft glow of intracluster light, produced by stars that are not part of any individual galaxy. These stars were scattered...

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 07, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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