Most Amazing Gravitational Lenses

Abell 2218

Location: Draco 2.1 Billion light Years Away

This picture is focused on Galaxy Cluster Abell 2218, the cluster rich with galaxies is located 2.1 billion light years away from earth in the constellation of Draco. Astronomers look at the super galaxy cluster containing thousands of galaxies with a wide variety of tools, it can be viewed in many spectrums like as infra red and pure visible light. 

When used as a looking glass this gravitational lenses allows astronomers to look far into the past, by doing this they can study very distant galaxies, the evolution of the universe and early galaxy formation. While making an excellent looking glass, gravitational lenses distort and shape light into arclets as it passes through the curvature of space time. Scientists can examine far away objects by comparing several images of the same subject.

Subjects are detectable in the near infra red light spectrum; due to traveling billions of years to earth while the universe expands the light waves are expanded from the visible wave length into the near infra red spectrum.

Image Credit: NASA / ESU / JPL

Abell 370

Location: Cetus

Abell 370 lies in the constellation of Cetus and NASA's Hubble has viewed with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) over a distance of five billion light-years

to gather in detail the intricate workings of this galaxy cluster. The light from objects near and far is streaked into arks as it passes by the energy dense region of Abell 370. Gravitational lensing in as essential tool for astronomers who seek to better understand the workings of our universe; to better understand the relationship between stars, galaxies, energy, matter and the invisible substance dubbed dark matter.

Gravitational lensing is a vital tool for astronomers when measuring the dark matter distribution in massive clusters, since the mass distribution can be reconstructed from observations of its gravitational effects. The subjects on interest studied most are Galaxy Clusters; they represent the most massive structures of mass and energy throughout the universe. Some Galaxy clusters can contain thousands of Galaxies which are formed upon the death of larger stars. Galaxies are composed of Stars, Asteroids, Hot Gas, Dust, Energy and possibly a substance called dark matter.

Image Credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble SM4 ERO Team