Chandra Release - August 6, 2007

Visual Description: CL0958+4702

 This composite image of galaxy cluster CL0958+4702 features a large galaxy cluster in the center in a field of smaller background galaxies with some foreground stars. The galaxy cluster at the center is dominated by blue and white colors, while the smaller galaxies have various shades of yellow, orange, and red. The center of this composite image shows four large galaxies that are colliding and will ultimately merge and is pulled out to show a slight closeup of the action. This four-way collision is occurring about five billion light years away. Infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope are shown in red, visible light data from the WIYN telescope are green, and X-rays from the Chandra X-ray Observatory appear in blue. The Chandra data show hot hydrogen gas at temperatures of a few million degrees. The temperature of this gas tells astronomers how much the cluster weighs.The cloud around the colliding galaxies contains billions of stars tossed out during the messy encounter. When green and red overlap in this image, the color becomes orange or yellow as with the galaxies containing many older stars. When all of the colors are present, the objects appear white.