Cluster of galaxies Abell 496

This image displays a 0.5° x 0.5° sky field centered on the distant cluster of galaxies Abell 496, as imaged by the WFI at the 2.2-m MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla during a total exposure time of just over 2 hours. The original frame is a composite of several shorter exposures and encompasses approx. 8000 x 8000 pixels. The (nearly vertical, divided by the exposures) trail of a minor planet in the solar system is seen to the left of the centre.

The WFI image of Abell 496 was obtained in blue light (B-band) and corresponds to a total integration time of 7560 seconds, split into a number of exposures lasting between 600 and 1200 seconds. The faintest objects just detectable in this image have a B-magnitude of about 26.5.