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http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1516000/1516739.stm
quote:discovered the first gravitational lens in which the single image of a very distant galaxy has been split into six different images.
Such systems are expected to be extremely rare. It will give us insights we can't get from other types of lenses
Dr David Rusin, University of Pennsylvania
It is a unique configuration, produced by the gravitational effect of three galaxies along the line of sight between the more-distant galaxy and Earth.
"This is the first gravitational lens with more than four images of the background object that is produced by a small group of galaxies rather than a large cluster of galaxies," said Dr David Rusin, of the University of Pennsylvania, US.
Gravitational lensing - first predicted by Albert Einstein - is a neat trick that allows scientists to probe distant parts of the Universe in greater detail than would normally be possible (see box).
Astronomers say that the six-way cosmic lens will reveal new information about how galaxies interact with each other.
......Goto article for more info. |
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