A massive cluster of galaxies lurks at the center of this image, provided by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Like a submerged sea monster that causes waves to surface, this cosmic leviathan can be identified by the distortions of spacetime around it. The cluster’s massive mass bends space-time, creating a gravitational lens that bends light from distant galaxies beyond the cluster. The warped streaks and arcs of light we see in this image are the result. A host of other galaxies surround the cluster, and a handful of foreground stars with telltale diffraction spikes are scattered throughout the image.

This particular galaxy cluster, called eMACS J1823.1+7822, is nearly nine billion light-years away in the constellation Draco. It is one of five extremely massive galaxy clusters that Hubble explored with the aim of measuring gravitational lensing strengths and would provide information on the distribution of dark matter in galaxy clusters. Powerful gravitational lenses like eMACS J1823.1+7822 can help astronomers study distant galaxies by acting as huge physical telescopes that magnify objects that would otherwise be too faint or distant to resolve.

This multiwavelength image layers data from eight different filters and two different instruments: Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3. Both instruments can see astronomical objects in a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum using filters, which allow astronomers to image objects at precisely selected wavelengths. Combining observations at different wavelengths allows astronomers to develop a more complete picture of an object’s structure, composition, and behavior than visible light alone would reveal.