Smiley Face in Galaxy Cluster J1038+4849: The Universe as a Friendly Place

Summary: Hubble Legacy Archive's image of a smiley face in galaxy cluster J1038+4849 presents the universe as a friendly place.

"Happy Lens: It looks happy"; resemblance of galaxy cluster SDSSJ1038+4849 in Hubble Space Telescope's image was discerned by astronomical image processor Judy Schmidt in 2012 (Mary Bowerman, "Hubble telescope spots smiley face in space," USA Today, Feb. 10, 2015): Judy Schmidt (geckzilla), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

On March 27, 2012, the European Space Agency's Hubble headquarters in the Bavarian city of Garching in southeastern Germany kicked off its Hubble Hidden Treasures contest. Members of the public were invited to peruse the Hubble Legacy Archive (HLA) of more than one million (1,000,000) archived images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope since May 20, 1990, and to select images that have never been spotlighted on the online Hubble gallery at spacetelescope.org. Nearly 3,000 photos were submitted by the closing date of May 31, 2012.

Winners were announced three months later, in August 2012. Judy Schmidt, who was honored with the third prize for her entry on newborn star XZ Tauri, also submitted other images. Hailing from San Diego, one of southern California's astronomy hot spots, Judy Schmidt earned her undergraduate degree in Multimedia from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT) in 2004.

Judy's preferred online moniker is Geckzilla, a nickname that reflects her general appreciation of animals and her particular penchant for amphibians and reptiles. Judy's designs, images and illustrations are available online at her website, geckzilla.com. A member of image and video hosting website Flickr since June 2006, Judy posts as geckzilla, with a gallery of almost 400 photos. On Twitter, Judy tweets as SpaceGeek because Geckzilla, unfortunately, has already been claimed by another tweeter.

Among Judy's other entries in the Hubble Hidden Treasures competition was an image of galaxy cluster SDSS J1038+4849, a portrait with an appearance reminiscent of a smiley emoticon. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) describes galaxy clusters as the universe's most massive structures, with super-powerful gravitational pulls which warp the space-time continuum around them. Galaxy clusters function as cosmic lenses by way of their gravitational super-power, which bends, distorts, and magnifies the light behind them.

The arcs that seem to form a smile and to encircle the eyes effectuated by the two bright galaxies complete the illusion of a smiley face beaming from deep space. The arcs and rings created by the cluster's gravitational lensing are known as an Einstein Ring, a phenomenon of light deformation produced by the alignment of a light source with its gravitational lens, such as a galaxy cluster, and their observer. Einstein Ring honors theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879-April 18, 1955), who posited the existence of this gravitationally induced phenomenon in his groundbreaking general theory of relativity, published in 1915.

The human tendency to perceive faces in nature is known as the psychological phenomenon of visual pareidolia (par-i-DOH-lee-a), which is a form of apophenia, of finding connections or patterns in random data. The term derives from the Greek words para (παρά, “against, contrary to, instead of”) and eidolon (εἴδωλον "image”).

While some visions of human faces in nature may seem far-fetched or impossible, the smiley emoticon gifted to earthlings by way of galaxy cluster SDSS J1038+4849 is easily discernible and endlessly enjoyable. The Hubble Space Telescope, which captured the image with its Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) for a survey of strong gravitational lenses, adds artistry to the blend of pareidolia with perspective and Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

This image of a smiley face in galaxy cluster J1038+4849 may be seen as an answer to Albert Einstein's self-designated most important question for humanity: Is the universe a friendly place, or an unfriendly place?

Galaxy cluster SDSS J1038+4849 appears as the Universe's smiley emoticon in image captured by NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3); bright galaxies suggest two orange eyes, and arcs caused by strong gravitational lensing convey smile lines: credit NASA/ESA/Acknowledgement Judy Schmidt: NASA Hubble Mission Team Goddard Space Flight Center, "Hubble Sees a Smiling Lens," NASA article Feb. 9, 2015, Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

"Happy Lens: It looks happy"; resemblance of galaxy cluster SDSSJ1038+4849 in Hubble Space Telescope's image was discerned by astronomical image processor Judy Schmidt in 2012 (Mary Bowerman, "Hubble telescope spots smiley face in space," USA Today, Feb. 10, 2015): Judy Schmidt (geckzilla), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/geckzilla/6890172668/

Galaxy cluster SDSS J1038+4849 appears as the Universe's smiley emoticon in image captured by NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3); bright galaxies suggest two orange eyes, and arcs caused by strong gravitational lensing convey smile lines: credit NASA/ESA/Acknowledgement Judy Schmidt: NASA Hubble Mission Team Goddard Space Flight Center, "Hubble Sees a Smiling Lens," NASA article Feb. 9, 2015, Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA @ http://www.nasa.gov/content/hubble-sees-a-smiling-lens/

For further information:

Bowerman, Mary. "Hubble telescope spots smiley face in space." USA Today. Feb. 10, 2015.
Available @ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/02/10/hubble-smiley-face-emoji-outer-space/23164207/

NASA Hubble Mission Team Goddard Space Flight Center. "Hubble Sees a Smiling Lens." NASA Science > Missions > Hubble. Feb. 9, 2015.
Available via NASA Science @ https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-sees-a-smiling-lens/