gravitational lens

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. a heavy, dense body, as a galaxy, that lies along our line of sight to a more distant object, as a quasar, and whose gravitational field refracts the light of that object, splitting it into multiple images as seen from the earth.

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gravitational lens British  

noun

1. astronomy a lenslike effect in which light rays are bent when passing through the gravitational field of such massive objects as galaxies or black holes

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gravitational lens Scientific  

1. A massive celestial object, such as a galaxy, whose gravity can act as a lens that functions to bend and focus the light of a more distant object. This results in a magnified, distorted, or multiple image of the original light source for a distant observer.

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Etymology

Origin of gravitational lens

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

The researchers noted that, alongside the gravitational lens, JWST's powerful infrared instruments should be able to detect galaxies at an even further distance, if they exist.

From Science Daily • Nov. 13, 2023

The remaining 90 percent exists in halos of an invisible substance called dark matter—halos so massive that the cluster bends nearby spacetime to act as a giant magnifying glass, which astronomers call a gravitational lens.

From Scientific American • Oct. 11, 2023

It's known to astronomers as a "gravitational lens" because the mass of the cluster bends and magnifies the light of objects that are much further away.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2022

The Webb telescope should also be able to find other distant magnified stars like Earendel, although how many are fortuitously lined up with a gravitational lens remains to be seen.

From New York Times • Mar. 30, 2022

These multiple images were produced by the massive cluster of galaxies known as Abell 2744, which is located between us and the galaxy and acts as a gravitational lens.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016