Pandora's Cluster

January 22, 2024

Abell 2744 is a massive galaxy cluster located about 4 billion light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. It's nicknamed Pandora's Cluster because of its chaotic and violent nature, formed by the collision of at least four separate galaxy clusters over a period of 350 million years.

The combined mass of Abell 2744 is staggering, equivalent to about 4 trillion suns. This immense gravity warps the fabric of spacetime, creating a powerful gravitational lens that magnifies and distorts light from even more distant galaxies behind it.

Thanks to its gravitational lensing effect, Pandora's Cluster has become a treasure trove for astronomers, allowing them to observe faint, distant galaxies that would otherwise be invisible. Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed never-before-seen details in the cluster, providing valuable insights into the early universe.

Learn more at NASA.

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