Hubble Observes Galaxy Cluster Abell 2163

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a striking image of a rich cluster of galaxies called Abell 2163.

This Hubble image shows Abell 2163, one of the richest and most distant galaxy clusters known. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble.

Abell 2163 is approximately 3 billion light-years in the constellation Ophiuchus.

This galaxy cluster is a member of the Abell catalogue, an all-sky catalogue of over 4,000 galaxy clusters.

It is particularly well-studied because the material sitting at its core exhibits exceptional properties.

Abell 2163 has a large and bright radio halo and is very hot and luminous in X-rays.

Observing massive galaxy clusters like Abell 2163 can contribute to the study of dark matter, and provide a new perspective on the distant Universe via phenomena such as gravitational lensing.

This image was taken by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide-Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instruments as part of an extensive observing program called Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS).

RELICS imaged 41 massive galaxy clusters over the course of 390 Hubble orbits and 100 Spitzer Space Telescope observing hours, aiming to find the brightest distant galaxies.

Studying these galaxies in more detail with both current telescopes and the future NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will hopefully tell us more about our cosmic origins.

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