This is a representation of galaxies in and surrounding a galaxy cluster
called Abell 1763. The placement of each dot is based on the actual
coordinates of galaxies in the region. Blue dots are active star-forming
galaxies; red dots show galaxies that are not actively forming stars.
Galaxies across the universe reside in cosmic communities big and small.
Large, densely populated galactic communities are called galaxy clusters
(highlighted in the orange circle). Like cities on Earth, galaxy clusters
are scattered throughout the universe and are connected by a web of dusty
highways called filaments (highlighted in purple). Smaller galactic
communities are sprinkled along the filaments, creating celestial suburbs.
Over time, astronomers suspect that all galactic suburbanites make their
way to a galaxy cluster by way of filaments. Observations from NASA's
Spitzer Space Telescope show that filamentary galaxies form stars at twice
the rate of their densely clustered counterparts.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer
Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate,
Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center
at the California Institute of Technology, also in Pasadena. Caltech
manages JPL for NASA.
For more information about Spitzer, visit http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer and
http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer.
