Mass map of galaxy cluster MCS J0416.1-2403 using strong and weak lensing
Date: 24 July 2014
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: Galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1-2403
Copyright: See below
This image shows the galaxy MCS J0416.1-2403, one of six clusters targeted by the Hubble Frontier Fields programme.
The varying intensity of blue haze in this image is a mass map created by using new Hubble observations combined with the magnifying power of a process known as gravitational lensing.
Strong lensing gives a much more precise indication of the mass at the cluster's core whilst weak lensing provides valuable information about the mass surrounding the cluster core.
Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, HST Frontier Fields
Acknowledgement: Mathilde Jauzac (Durham University, UK and Astrophysics & Cosmology Research Unit, South Africa) and Jean-Paul Kneib (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
Last Update: 1 September 2019
