"More than 100 galaxies can be seen in Galaxy Cluster Abell 209, situated about 2.8 billion light-years away. Though they look close to one another, these galaxies are still separated by millions of light-years. Their combined mass manages to warp and magnify some even more-distant galaxies through a process called gravitational lensing. Lensed galaxies here appear stretched or streaky toward the center."
"See the full advent calendar here, where a new image will be revealed each day until December 25."
Galaxy Cluster Abell 209 contains more than 100 visible galaxies located roughly 2.8 billion light-years from Earth. Individual galaxies within the cluster remain separated by millions of light-years despite their close apparent grouping. The cluster's combined mass warps spacetime and magnifies more-distant galaxies through gravitational lensing, producing stretched or streaky images that point toward the cluster center. The phenomenon demonstrates how massive clusters act as natural telescopes to reveal faint background objects. A new Space Telescope Advent Calendar image is revealed each day through December 25.
Read at The Atlantic
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