14 DAY TRIAL // Gravitational lensing can be a great tool for astronomers in peeking beyond what their instruments would normally be capable of. As light is distorted by gravity, large galaxies and clusters, can act as a lens, magnifying the view behind them.
Of course, this magnification comes at a cost as the image is frequently distorted. Astronomers can counter the effects of the distortion by making it possible for them to study objects outside of their field of view.
Even the best telescopes in the world can benefit from this effect and NASA has been using it to enhance images captured by Hubble.
NASA is now publishing one photo showing the extreme effects of distortion on galaxies viewed through gravity lenses; so extreme that it can turn one normal spiral galaxy into a space invader monster, not a literal one, but the one in the classic Space Invaders game.