gravitational lens

English

Noun

gravitational lens (plural gravitational lenses)

  1. (astronomy) A distribution of matter whose gravitational field bends the path of light rays sufficiently to distort, magnify or multiply images of more distant objects.
    • 1981, Ido Kansokujo, editor, Publications of the International Latitude Observatory of Mizusawa, Volumes 15-20, page 27:
      Thus the galactic gravitational lens effect is not important in maintaining the radio reference coordinate system with mas accuracy, if quasars as fiduciary points are pertinently selected.
    • 1987, McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, Volume 8, McGraw-Hill, unnumbered page:
      The two other examples of gravitational lenses discussed above have not been modeled as elaborately.
    • 1999 August, Guillermo A. Lemarchand, Karen J. Meech, editors, Bioastronomy '99: A New Era in Bioastronomy, Proceedings, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, page 575:
      Subsequent discoveries of several more examples of gravitational lenses eliminated all doubts about gravitational focussing predicted by general relativity.

Translations
astronomy: body whose gravitational field bends light rays

See also

Further reading
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