The Einstein Cross

The Einstein Cross and the galaxy that causes this 'cosmic mirage', as seen with the FORS instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope. This cross-shaped configuration consists of four images of a single very distant source. The multiple images are a result of gravitational lensing by a foreground galaxy, an effect that was predicted by Albert Einstein as a consequence of his theory of general relativity. The light source in the Einstein Cross is a quasar approximately ten billion light-years away, whereas the foreground lensing galaxy is ten times closer. The light from the quasar is bent in its path and magnified by the gravitational field of the lensing galaxy.

Credit:

ESO/F. Courbin et al

About the Image

Id:eso0847a
Type:Observation
Release date:12 December 2008
Related releases:eso0847
Size:1024 x 1024 px

About the Object

Name:Einstein Cross, Gravitational Microlensing
Type:Unspecified : Galaxy : Activity : AGN : Quasar
Unspecified : Galaxy : Type : Gravitationally Lensed
Constellation:Pegasus
Category:Quasars and Black Holes

Image Formats

Large JPEG
246.2 KB
Screensize JPEG
189.1 KB

Wallpapers

1024x768
215.6 KB
1280x1024
311.4 KB
1600x1200
417.4 KB
1920x1200
509.0 KB
2048x1536
642.6 KB

Coordinates

Position (RA):22 40 30.30
Position (Dec):3° 21' 30.38"
Field of view:1.70 x 1.70 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.0° left of vertical

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
OpticalVery Large Telescope
FORS1