However, because the galaxy is so distant, the cluster could not be seen directly. Most telling was a picture taken by the Hubble Space Telescope that revealed that the galaxy comprises a large number of clumps, and which bore a remarkable resemblance to computer models of the birth of giant galaxies in clusters. The size of this cloud is about 5 times larger than the optical extent of the Milky Way Galaxy. The image has not been flux calibrated, so the first contour level is arbitrary. The linear scale is indicated at the lower left.
North is up and East is left.
Three excellent candidates of Lyman-alpha emitters are seen at the centres of the fields. The team has pinpointed a total of 26 objects in the surrounding field that may be companion galaxies with fainter hydrogen emission. The detection by the VLT of the huge gas halo and of the companion galaxies is further evidence that 1138-262 is a massive galaxy, forming in a group or cluster of galaxies. The next step The next step in the project will be to confirm the distances of the candidate companion galaxies and establish that they are indeed members of a cluster of galaxies surrounding 1138-262 . The project on 1138-262 is being carried out by a large international consortium of scientists led by astronomers from the Leiden Observatory.