Galaxy clusters like MACS J0035 are the largest structures in the universe held together by gravity. They contain huge amounts of hot gas that produces X-rays seen with X-ray telescopes like NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

This composite image features dozens of tiny golden specks, each a distinct galaxy. The cluster, known as MACS J0035, is surrounded by a hazy, purple, cloud of hot gas detected by Chandra. From this distance, most of the galaxies in the cluster resemble glowing specks and very short streaks. However, upon close inspection, some of the oblong specks and streaks are revealed to have spiral arms. The X-rays from Chandra are in purple, while the optical light from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is seen in gold.

Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major

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