TIME Science space Hubble Telescope Spots an Emoticon in Outer Space Hubble\/ESA\/NASA Galaxy cluster SDSS J1038+4849 It's actually a cluster of galaxies <\/p>\n
In the center of this Hubble Telescope image is the galaxy cluster SDSS J1038+4849 and it appears to be smiling back at you. <\/p>\n
The two orange eyes of the grinning face are actually two distant galaxies, and the peculiar smile was caused by an effect known as strong gravitational lensing. <\/p>\n
Galaxy clusters are so large that they can create a strong gravitational pull that warps the time and space surrounding them. From afar this creates a distorted view of reality, known as a cosmic lens. <\/p>\n
There are thousands of images within the Hubble database that have only been viewed by a few scientists. However, Hubble opens up its massive database to the public to search through. A version of this particular image was brought to attention by a contestant, Judy Smith, through the Hubbles Hidden Treasures image processing competition. <\/p>\n
Read next: In Praise of Emoticons <\/p>\n
Listen to the most important stories of the day. <\/p>\n
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Hubble Telescope Spots an Emoticon in Outer Space<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TIME Science space Hubble Telescope Spots an Emoticon in Outer Space Hubble\/ESA\/NASA Galaxy cluster SDSS J1038+4849 It's actually a cluster of galaxies In the center of this Hubble Telescope image is the galaxy cluster SDSS J1038+4849 and it appears to be smiling back at you. Continue reading