Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689’s “Gravitational Lens”

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    13h 11m 34.19s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -1° 21' 56.0"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Virgo
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    The distance to the lensing cluster is 2.2 billion light-years (675 megaparsecs).

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.
    Principal Astronomers / ACS science team: H.C. Ford (JHU), G.D. Illingworth (UCO/Lick Observatory), N. Benitez (JHU), M. Clampin (STScI), G.F. Hartig (STScI), D.R. Ardila (JHU), F. Bartko (Bartko Science & Technology), J.P. Blakeslee (JHU), R.J. Bouwens (UCO/Lick Obs.), T.J. Broadhurst (Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University), R.A. Brown (STScI), C.J. Burrows (STScI), E.S. Cheng (NASA-GSFC), N.J.G. Cross (JHU), P.D. Feldman (JHU), M. Franx (Leiden Observatory), D.A.Golimowski (JHU), C. Gronwall (PSU), L. Infante (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile), R.A. Kimble (NASA GSFC), J.E. Krist (STScI), M.P. Lesser (Steward Obs.), A.R. Martel (JHU), F. Menanteau (JHU), G.R. Meurer (JHU), G.K. Miley (Leiden Obs.), M. Postman (STScI), P. Rosati (ESO), M. Sirianni (JHU), W.B. Sparks (STScI), H.D. Tran (JHU), Z.I. Tsvetanov (JHU), R.L. White (STScI/JHU), and W. Zheng (JHU)
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>ACS/WFC
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    June, 2002, Exposure Time: 13.2 hours
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F475W (g), F625W (r), F775W (i), F850LP (z)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Abell 1689
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Galaxy Cluster, Gravitational Lens
  • Release Date
    January 7, 2003
  • Science Release
    Biggest ‘Zoom Lens’ in Space Takes Hubble Deeper into the Universe
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, N. Benitez (JHU), T. Broadhurst (The Hebrew University), H. Ford (JHU), M. Clampin(STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), G. Illingworth (UCO/Lick Observatory), the ACS Science Team and ESA

Downloads

  • 750 × 750
    jpg (1.08 MB)
  • 750 × 750
    tif (1.89 MB)
  • 200 × 200
    jpg (7.25 KB)
  • 400 × 400
    jpg (19.65 KB)

Related Images & Videos

Galaxy Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens" Magnifies Light of Distant Galaxies

Galaxy Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens" Magnifies Light of Distant Galaxies

A massive cluster of yellowish galaxies, seemingly caught in a red and blue spider web of eerily distorted background galaxies, makes for a spellbinding picture from the new Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. To make this unprecedented image of the...

Gravitational Lens Arcs in Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689

Gravitational Lens Arcs in Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689

A selection of cropped images from a NASA Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys view of one of the most massive galaxy clusters known, called Abell 1689. These close-ups show "lensed" images of background galaxies that have been brightened and smeared by the...

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

Galaxies Magnified by Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689's "Gravitational Lens"

Gravitational Lensing Illustration

Gravitational Lensing Illustration

Simulation of a gravitational lens moving against a background field of galaxy. The gravity of the mass of the foreground object warps space. This bends the light of background galaxies making them appear distorted and brighter.

Gravitational Lensing Illustration

Gravitational Lensing Illustration

Simulation of a gravitational lens moving across the Baltimore City skyline. The lens is produced by a compact and massive object, which bends space around it. This distorts light coming from any object behind the lens. The simulation shows how the lens distorts the background...

Gravitational Lensing Illustration

Gravitational Lensing Illustration

Simulation of light of distant galaxies as it is seen through dark matter or a gravitational lens, produced by the warping of space by galaxies and dark matter. This simulation shows how the lens distorts the background galaxies by bending the light and causing the light of the...

Abell 1689 Zoom

Abell 1689 Zoom

Sequence Zoom into the Abell 1689 galaxy cluster. Zoom starts from the Digitized Sky Survey to Sloan Digital Sky Survey to the Abell 1689 Hubble ACS image.

Interview with Holland Ford - Clip 1

Interview with Holland Ford - Clip 1

Holland Ford, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at John Hopkins University, discussing the results to be published at the AAS Meeting and the science behind Gravitational Lensing.

Interview with Holland Ford - Clip 2

Interview with Holland Ford - Clip 2

Holland Ford, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at John Hopkins University, discussing the results to be published at the AAS Meeting and the science behind Gravitational Lensing.

Interview with Narciso Benitez - Clip 1

Interview with Narciso Benitez - Clip 1

Narciso Benitez, Associate Research Scientist at John Hopkins University, discussing the objects now able to study with the application of Gravitational Lensing and the impact Gravitational Lensing has on scientific theories.

Interview with Narciso Benitez - Clip 2

Interview with Narciso Benitez - Clip 2

Narciso Benitez, Associate Research Scientist at John Hopkins University, discussing the objects now able to study with the application of Gravitational Lensing and the impact Gravitational Lensing has on scientific theories.

Interview with Kerry Zekser – Clip 1

Interview with Kerry Zekser – Clip 1

Kerry Zekser Graduate Student Research Assistant at John Hopkins University, on the benefits to science on using the HST, the ACS and the Abell 1689 galaxy cluster.

Interview with Kerry Zekser – Clip 2

Interview with Kerry Zekser – Clip 2

Kerry Zekser Graduate Student Research Assistant at John Hopkins University, on the benefits to science on using the HST, the ACS and the Abell 1689 galaxy cluster.

Share

Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

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

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Hubble Science Highlights

Hubble Images

Hubble News