Abell 2218 is a massive galaxy cluster located about 2.1 billion light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It is notable for its strong gravitational lensing effects, which occur when the cluster's gravity bends the light from more distant galaxies, creating distorted and magnified images. The cluster contains hundreds of galaxies and is one of the largest known in the universe. It was first cataloged in the Abell catalog, a collection of galaxy clusters compiled by George Abell in the 1950s. Observations of Abell 2218 have provided valuable insights into dark matter and the large-scale structure of the universe.