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| Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689 is a massive cluster of galaxies some 2.2 billion light years distant toward the constellation Virgo. Galaxy cluster Abell 1689 is so massive that its gravitational field deflects rays of light that pass through it, in accord with predictions of Einstein's general theory of relativity. This "gravitational lensing" effect serves to magnify, distort, and brighten the light of distant galaxies that by chance happen to lie behind the cluster, which in the image are visible as thin blue and red arcs of light. These "gravitational arcs" are the lensed and distorted images of galaxies that are much more distant than the cluster––some up to 13 billion light years distant. By magnifying the images of distant background galaxies, gravitational lenses such as galaxy cluster Abell 1689 allow detailed views of very distant galaxies to be obtained. |
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