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The latest results from the “Cheshire Cat” group of galaxies show how manifestations of Einstein’s 100-year-old theory can lead to new discoveries today. Astronomers have given the group this name because of the smiling cat-like appearance. Some of the feline features are actually distant galaxies whose light has been stretched and bent by the large amounts of mass, most of which is in the form of dark matter detectable only through its gravitational effect, found in the system.
More specifically, the mass that distorts the faraway galactic light is found surrounding the two giant “eye” galaxies and a “nose” galaxy. The multiple arcs of the circular “face” arise from gravitational lensing of four different background galaxies well behind the “eye” galaxies. The individual galaxies of the system, as well as the gravitationally lensed arcs, are seen in optical light from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
Each “eye” galaxy is the brightest member of its own group of galaxies and these two groups are racing toward one another at over 300,000 miles per hour. Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory (purple) show hot gas that has been heated to millions of degrees, which is evidence that the galaxy groups are slamming into one another. Chandra’s X-ray data also reveal that the left “eye” of the Cheshire Cat group contains an actively feeding supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.
www.nasa.gov...
originally posted by: Shadoefax
How soon before someone posts "No ... it doesn't look like a cat. It's just another case of Pareidolia". God I hate that word. If it looks like a cat or anything else, it's not my mind fooling me.
originally posted by: Konduit
catonakeyboardinspace: YTMND
that cat and keyboard are both classic!
originally posted by: laminatedsoul
originally posted by: Konduit
catonakeyboardinspace: YTMND
Ok I take that back.. there is a cat in space
And it's organic too !!!