Cosmic
16. dust bunnies
Like dust bunnies that lurk in corners and under beds, surprisingly complex loops
and blobs of cosmic dust lie hidden in the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1316. This
image made from data obtained with Hubble reveals the dust lanes and star
clusters of this giant galaxy that give evidence that it was formed from a past
merger of two gas-rich galaxies.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA)
“The Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized
astronomy in many ways. As beautifully illustrated by the
Top 100 gallery, it has produced thousands of stunning
pictures giving us a sharper view to the universe than
ever before, and allowing for unprecedented insights into
the cosmos.
“In every area of astronomy HST has made discovery
that were completely unanticipated during its planning
stages. This is a true sign of a revolutionary observatory.
For example, in one of my areas of interest, gravitational
lensing, HST has been transformative. With its superb
angular resolution it has allowed astronomers to transform
what was thought to be a mere curiosity with no chances
of ever been observed (including by Einstein’s himself!)
into a workhorse for cosmology.
“With Hubble and gravitational lensing we have learned
about the first galaxies ever to form in the universe, and
we have learned about the fundamental nature of dark
matter and dark energy, just to name a couple of topics.
Recent examples of gravitational lensing work that I have
been involved in are the discovery of the multiply imaged
supernova ‘Refsdal’ [see inside back cover for story] and
of the first double Einstein Ring*.
“On a more personal level, HST has transformed my life
as well. It was after an undergraduate summer research
experience at the Space Telescope Science Institute that
I decided to go to graduate school in physics and pursue
a career as an astrophysicist.”
— Tommaso Treu
Professor
University of California, Los Angeles
* http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2008/04/