Located approximately 240 million light-years from Earth, the Perseus cluster is approximately 11 million light-years across.
Also known as Abell 426, it is one of the most massive objects in the observable universe, containing more than 1,000 galaxies embedded in a vast cloud of gas.
"Perseus is an important figure in Greek mythology, famous for killing Medusa the Gorgon, known for being condemned to have live snakes instead of hair," said the Hubble astronomers.
"Given the impressive credentials of Perseus, it seems appropriate that the galaxy cluster of the same name is one of the largest objects in the known universe, consisting of thousands of galaxies, of which only a few are visible in this image," they continue. The experts.
The new Hubble image shows two huge members of the cluster: 2MASX J03193743 + 4137580 and UGC 2665; a lenticular galaxy and a spiral galaxy.
