Hubble spies the ghostly remains of a galactic horror show in space

Space can be a spooky place, if you know where to look.

In the image above, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captures the ghostly remains of a galactic horror show that occurred billions of light years away in a group of galaxies known as Pandora’s Cluster.

The eerie blue light that bathes this collection of 500 galaxies comes from orphaned stars whose own galaxies were ripped apart long ago. Their mistake was making an unfortunate pass through the center of the cluster, where tidal forces are at their strongest, and deadliest.

After measuring the amount of light put out by these lonely stars, science detectives say that as many as six galaxies lost their lives because of the Pandora’s Cluster fierce gravity.

You might also enjoy this tricky picture of Jupiter with what looks like a dark pupil in the middle of its infamous great red spot, which already looks like an eye.

The black dot is actually the shadow of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, which swept across the great red spot while Hubble took the exposure. It’s just a trick of light, but it sure does give the planet a distinctive cyclops look!

Stay safe skywatchers, and I hope your Halloween is out of this world!

Science rules! Follow me @DeborahNetburn and “like” Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.