gravitational lens – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Put a Ring On It: How Gravity Gives Astronomers a Powerful Lens On the Universe

Gravity can change the path of light, and sometimes focuses the light of distant galaxies to create a gravitational lens or Einstein Ring. It is a common sight in modern deep field images, but the effect was first seen by the Very Large Array in 1987.

IMAGE RELEASE: Cosmic Lens Reveals Faint Radio Galaxy

Astronomers using the VLA took advantage of the gravitational lensing provided by a distant cluster of galaxies to detect an even more-distant galaxy that probably is the faintest radio-emitting object ever found.

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