Can someone with the knowledge explain, is the close elliptical galaxy actually just the small dot of light in the centre and the spiral galaxy is behind it but dramatically magnified by the lens effect?
Yes the elliptical galaxy is the fuzzy blob in the middle; blended with the galaxy behind, it's difficult to see the diffuse outer parts of it. I'm not sure how much the apparent size of the spiral is affected by magnification, vs how much is just relative size difference. I guess it would be useful to know the distance between them.
