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> Elliptical galaxy ESO 306-17

Elliptical galaxy ESO 306-17

author: Nasa/Esa/Novapix

reference: a-gax95-00800

Image Size 300 DPI: 32 * 32 cm

This image from the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope highlights the large and bright elliptical galaxy called ESO 306-17 in the southern sky. In this image, it appears that ESO 306-17 is surrounded by other galaxies but the bright galaxies at bottom left are thought to be in the foreground, not at the same distance in the sky. In reality, ESO 306-17 lies fairly abandoned at half a billion light-years from Earth in an enormous sea of dark matter and hot gas.

Keywords for this photo:

2010 - ACS - ASTRONOMY - DISTANT GALAXIES - ELLIPTICAL GALAXY - ESO 306-17 - GALAXY - HST - HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE - STAR -