"This Hubble view of Galaxy Cluster Abell 209, about 2.8 billion light-years away, shows more than 100 galaxies."
"The incredible mass of the galaxies together warps and magnifies images of background galaxies and stars in a process called gravitational lensing, which can be seen in the stretched and smeared clumps toward the center of the image."
This Hubble image captures Galaxy Cluster Abell 209, roughly 2.8 billion light-years away, containing over 100 galaxies. The combined mass of the cluster bends space-time and acts as a gravitational lens, warping and magnifying light from more distant background galaxies and stars. Gravitational lensing produces stretched, smeared arcs and clumps, especially visible toward the image center. The effect reveals both the distribution of mass within the cluster and magnified views of distant objects otherwise too faint to detect. The image is part of a Space Telescope Advent Calendar presenting a new astronomical image each day through December 25.
Read at The Atlantic
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