This Hubble Space Telescope image shows a serene collection of elliptical and spiral galaxies dominated by the large galaxy cluster in the Constellation Whale. The galaxies surrounding the central cluster, designated SPT-CL J0019-2026, appear to lie in bright arcs, as if distorted by a giant magnifying glass. This cosmic distortion is called gravitational lensing and occurs when a massive object such as a galaxy cluster has a gravitational field strong enough to distort and magnify light from background objects. Gravitational lenses magnify light from objects that are normally too distant and weak to be observed, so these lenses can expand Hubble’s view even deeper into the Universe.

This observation is part of an ongoing project by both Hubble and NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space to fill the short gaps in Hubble’s observation plan by systematically examining the largest clusters of galaxies in the distant Universe in hopes of identifying promising targets for further study. Telescope. This particular galaxy cluster is 4.6 billion light-years from Earth.

Each year, the Space Telescope Science Institute is flooded with Hubble Observation Recommendations, in which astronomers suggest targets for observation. Even after selecting only the best bids, scheduling observations of all Hubble targets for a year is a daunting task. Sometimes Hubble’s program renders a small portion of its observation time unusable, so the telescope has in its “free time” a number of objects to study, including the lensing galaxy cluster shown in this image.