The Hubble Deep Field South
Among the faintest objects are some
of the most unusual objects. The
Hubble Deep Field South was
released after much anticipation earlier this month,
delivering a
unique view of some of the most
distant parts of our universe. Part of this field is shown above.
Numerous astronomers are currently poring over this field,
trying to find clues about
young galaxies,
cosmological curvature, and
dark matter.
Clearly, visible among galaxies as dim as
magnitude 30 in
this long-duration exposure (and in the original
Hubble Deep Field North) are many
peculiar looking galaxies.
One interesting artifact is the blue arc just
to the upper right of the large galaxy near the image center.
This arc may be light from a more distant galaxy focused by the
gravitational lens effect
of the nearer galaxy.