The Phoenix Cluster

 

Animation of the Phoenix Cluster by NASA

Amazing news release from NASA:

August 15, 2012

RELEASE : 12-278

Phoenix Cluster Sets Record Pace at Forming Stars

WASHINGTON -- Astronomers have found an extraordinary galaxy cluster, one of the largest objects in the universe, that is breaking several important cosmic records. Observations of the Phoenix cluster with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the National Science Foundation's South Pole Telescope, and eight other world-class observatories may force astronomers to rethink how these colossal structures and the galaxies that inhabit them evolve.

NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory website provides more intriguing images and details. Almost six billion light years away - all its stars should have formed by now since what we see actually happened billions of years ago!