Abell S1063

Abell S1063 is a galaxy cluster, a massive collection of hundreds of galaxies bound together by gravity, located about 2.3 billion light-years from Earth. Its immense mass creates a powerful gravitational lens that magnifies and distorts the light from more distant objects behind it. This effect allows astronomers to study faint, distant galaxies and the universe’s early history. Abell S1063 also contains hot gas emitting X-rays and dark matter, which scientists investigate to understand the universe’s structure and the nature of dark matter.