Einstein's Cross: Examining the Impact of Lensing Galaxies

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hydr0matic
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Cross
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the phenomenon of gravitational lensing, specifically how light from a distant quasar is bent around a nearby galaxy, creating multiple images of the quasar. Participants clarify that the lensing galaxy is not rectangular; rather, the alignment of the quasar and the galaxy leads to the formation of four distinct images instead of a circular pattern. This occurs because the quasar is slightly misaligned with the lensing galaxy, resulting in the light being concentrated at four points. The conversation emphasizes that while the bending of light is spherical, the specific alignment causes the unique appearance of the images, and other potential light sources may be obscured or lost in the process.
Hydr0matic
Messages
196
Reaction score
1
Tell me if I've got this right ... The light from a distant quasar is bent around a more nearby galaxy, which is acting like a lens producing multible images of the quasar.. correct ?

What's up with this ? Is the lensing galaxy rectangular ? Why is the "lensing effect" producing four distinct images and not some distorted circular patterns ?
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
It's not rectangular, the lining is just that good, it is an oddity, but one that sheds a lot of light, no pun intended, on gravitational lensing.
 
The lining could be perfect and the lensing effect still shouldn't look like that... If the lensing object is spherical it should bend the light from an object behind it equaly in every direction, which will create a "circle of light" around the lensing object, not four distinct copies in a crossformation. Am I mistaken ?
 
Last edited:
You took my meaning of lining wrong, its not a straight line, the quasar in the back is off alittle bit, which creates the four points. Actually the light is bent spherecly, but due to the alignment, it peaks at four points, and the other stuff gets lost in space. That is it is so small it doesn't show up, and if you increase the exposure time, the galaxy in front will saturate the image.
 
Ok, I see... thnx !
 

Thread 'Potential biosignature found in Mars rock'

Publication: Redox-driven mineral and organic associations in Jezero Crater, Mars Article: NASA Says Mars Rover Discovered Potential Biosignature Last Year Press conference The ~100 authors don't find a good way this could have formed without life, but also can't rule it out. Now that they have shared their findings with the larger community someone else might find an explanation - or maybe it was actually made by life.
View full post »

Thread 'Does it make sense to build new radio telescopes?'

TL;DR Summary: In 3 years, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope (or rather, a system of telescopes) should be put into operation. In case of failure to detect alien signals, it will further expand the radius of the so-called silence (or rather, radio silence) of the Universe. Is there any sense in this or is blissful ignorance better? In 3 years, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope (or rather, a system of telescopes) should be put into operation. In case of failure to detect...
View full post »
Thread 'Could gamma-ray bursts have an intragalactic origin?'

Thread 'Could gamma-ray bursts have an intragalactic origin?'

This is indirectly evidenced by a map of the distribution of gamma-ray bursts in the night sky, made in the form of an elongated globe. And also the weakening of gamma radiation by the disk and the center of the Milky Way, which leads to anisotropy in the possibilities of observing gamma-ray bursts. My line of reasoning is as follows: 1. Gamma radiation should be absorbed to some extent by dust and other components of the interstellar medium. As a result, with an extragalactic origin, fewer...
View full post »

Similar threads

Stargazing Is There a Common Pattern in Einstein Crosses?
Replies
6
Views
1K
Lensed Quasar Pair: Retaining Point-like Appearance
Replies
32
Views
6K
I New Hubble Paper On Lensing In Galactic Clusters
Replies
2
Views
2K
Gravitational Lensing: Learn More about Einstein Rings
Replies
3
Views
4K
I Two recent tests of loop quantum gravity theory
Replies
15
Views
5K
I On gravity and the conservation of energy
Replies
30
Views
5K
Fermats P & Gravitational Lensing
Replies
12
Views
3K
Multiple images in gravitaional lensing
Replies
6
Views
2K
How Liouville's theorem applies to gravitationally deflected light?
Replies
4
Views
2K
Gravitational lensing as a way of observing Milky Way?
Replies
6
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top