| Dark matter is a still unidentified substance that makes up about 23 percent of the universe. It is thought to surround most galaxies, affecting their shapes by its gravity. Ordinarily it cannot be seen. This composite picture of galaxy cluster 1E 0657-556 was created from images taken by different space telescopes in X-ray and visible light. The cluster is actually two giant groups of galaxies that collided head-on. The dark matter around the groups of galaxies is indicated by the blue regions, which bend the light from more distant galaxies in the background. The pink regions are hot gas stripped away in the collision. |
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