The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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This Hubble image shows the galaxy cluster Abell 1689, which contains a million million stars in all. Its gravity acts as a cosmic lens, bending and magnifying the light of the galaxies located far behind it. This natural phenomenon is called gravitational lensing. Their light bent by the gravity of the cluster, the faraway galaxies appear as arc-shaped objects around it. The increased magnification allows astronomers to study remote galaxies in greater detail.