HUBBLE ATLAS

Deep fields & lensing

Intracluster light

December 20, 2018 · ESA/Hubble

Original on ESA/Hubble ↗

This animation switches between an original image of the galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1–2403, as it was observed by the Frontier Field team, and a version, in which the intracluster light (in blue) is highlighted.

Intracluster light is a byproduct of interactions between galaxies. It can be used to make the distribution of dark matter in galaxy clusters visible.