EMBARGOED UNTIL: 1:00 A.M. (EST) January 24, 2000

Hubble Opens its Eye on the Universe and Captures a Cosmic Magnifying Glass

Scanning the heavens for the first time since the successful December 1999 servicing mission, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has imaged a giant, cosmic magnifying glass, a massive cluster of galaxies called Abell 2218. This "hefty" cluster resides in the constellation Draco, some 2 billion light-years from Earth.

Credit: NASA , A. Fruchter and the ERO Team (STScI, ST-ECF)