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Intergalactic Emoji: Hubble Telescope Captures Smiley Face In Space (Photo)

by Sean Levinson
NASA/ESA

A photograph of a group of galaxies appears to show two wide eyes and a smiling mouth.

Taken by the Hubble telescope, the two eyes are actually two galaxies and the mouth is the gravitational pull between them.

The pull is so strong that it warps the surrounding light, creating a cosmic lens known as an "Einstein Ring," according to CNN.

Judy Schmidt unearthed the photograph in 2012, USA Today reports, and sent it to the Hubble's Hidden Treasure competition, though it's not clear if she won.

The European Space Agency posted the image on its website two days ago.

Citations: Hubble telescope spots smiley face in space (USA Today), Hubble Telescope spots smiley face in space (CNN)