What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release?
A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference.
The Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a never-before-seen optical alignment in space: a pair of glowing rings, one nestled inside the other like a bull's-eye pattern. The double-ring pattern is caused by the complex bending of light from two distant galaxies strung directly behind a foreground massive galaxy, like three beads on a string. This very rare phenomenon can offer insight into dark matter, dark energy, the nature of distant galaxies, and even the curvature of the universe. The phenomenon, called gravitational lensing, occurs when a massive galaxy in the foreground bends the light rays from a distant galaxy behind it, in much the same way as a magnifying glass would. When both galaxies are exactly lined up, the light forms a circle, called an "Einstein ring," around the foreground galaxy. If another background galaxy lies precisely on the same sightline, a second, larger ring will appear. The massive foreground galaxy is almost perfectly aligned in the sky with two background galaxies at different distances. The foreground galaxy is 3 billion light-years away. The inner ring and outer ring are comprised of multiple images of two galaxies at a distance of 6 billion and approximately 11 billion light-years. The odds of seeing such a special alignment are estimated to be 1 in 10,000.
What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release?
A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference.
The Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a never-before-seen optical alignment in space: a pair of glowing rings, one nestled inside the other like a bull's-eye pattern. The double-ring pattern is caused by the complex bending of light from two distant galaxies strung directly behind a foreground massive galaxy, like three beads on a string. This very rare phenomenon can offer insight into dark matter, dark energy, the nature of distant galaxies, and even the curvature of the universe. The phenomenon, called gravitational lensing, occurs when a massive galaxy in the foreground bends the light rays from a distant galaxy behind it, in much the same way as a magnifying glass would. When both galaxies are exactly lined up, the light forms a circle, called an "Einstein ring," around the foreground galaxy. If another background galaxy lies precisely on the same sightline, a second, larger ring will appear. The massive foreground galaxy is almost perfectly aligned in the sky with two background galaxies at different distances. The foreground galaxy is 3 billion light-years away. The inner ring and outer ring are comprised of multiple images of two galaxies at a distance of 6 billion and approximately 11 billion light-years. The odds of seeing such a special alignment are estimated to be 1 in 10,000.
About the Object Object Name: SDSSJ0946 1006 Object Description: Double Einstein ring around a gravitational lens Position (J2000): R.A. 09h 46m 56.s68 Dec. 10° 06' 52."6 Constellation: Leo About the Data Data Description:
The image created from HST data from proposal 10886: A. Bolton (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii/Harvard-Smith sonian Center for Astrophysics), T. Treu (University of California, Santa Barbara), S. Burles (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), L. Koopmans (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, The Netherlands), and L. Moustakas (Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech).
The science team comprises R. Gavazzi and T. Treu (University of California, Santa Barbara), L. Koopmans (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, The Netherlands), A. Bolton (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii/Harvard-Smith sonian Center for Astrophysics), L. Moustakas (Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech), S. Burles (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and P. Marshall (University of California, Santa Barbara).
Instrument: ACS/WFC Exposure Date(s): November 3, 2006 Exposure Time: 1.7 hours Filters: F814W (I) About the Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and R. Gavazzi and T. Treu (University of California, Santa Barbara) Release Date: January 10, 2008 Color: The image is a composite of separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. A single filters was used to sample broad infrared wavelength ranges. Orientation/Scale: Gravitational Lens System SDSSJ0946 1006 (Double Einstein Ring) [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…]
Fast_Facts
Technical facts about this news release:
About the Object Object Name: SDSSJ0946 1006 Object Description: Double Einstein ring around a gravitational lens Position (J2000): R.A. 09h 46m 56.s68 Dec. 10° 06' 52."6 Constellation: Leo About the Data Data Description:
The image created from HST data from proposal 10886: A. Bolton (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii/Harvard-Smith sonian Center for Astrophysics), T. Treu (University of California, Santa Barbara), S. Burles (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), L. Koopmans (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, The Netherlands), and L. Moustakas (Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech).
The science team comprises R. Gavazzi and T. Treu (University of California, Santa Barbara), L. Koopmans (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, The Netherlands), A. Bolton (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii/Harvard-Smith sonian Center for Astrophysics), L. Moustakas (Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech), S. Burles (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and P. Marshall (University of California, Santa Barbara).
Instrument: ACS/WFC Exposure Date(s): November 3, 2006 Exposure Time: 1.7 hours Filters: F814W (I) About the Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and R. Gavazzi and T. Treu (University of California, Santa Barbara) Release Date: January 10, 2008 Color: The image is a composite of separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. A single filters was used to sample broad infrared wavelength ranges. Orientation/Scale: Gravitational Lens System SDSSJ0946 1006 (Double Einstein Ring) [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…]
Fast Facts
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical
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*Release Date*:January 10, 2008 10:00 AM (EST)
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*Release Date*:January 10, 2008 10:00 AM (EST)
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*Title*:Hubble Finds Double Einstein Ring
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*Title*:Hubble Finds Double Einstein Ring
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2008-04a
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2008-04a
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*Description*:
This is an image of gravitational lens system SDSSJ0946 1006 as photographed by Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The gravitational field of an elliptical galaxy warps the light of two galaxies exactly behind it. The massive foreground galaxy is almost perfectly aligned in the sky with two background galaxies at different distances. The foreground galaxy is 3 billion light-years away, the inner ring and outer ring are comprised of multiple images of two galaxies at a distance of 6 and approximately 11 billion light-years. The odds of seeing such a special alignment are estimated to be 1 in 10,000. The right panel is a zoom onto the lens showing two concentric partial ring-like structures after subtracting the glare of the central, foreground galaxy.
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*Description*:
This is an image of gravitational lens system SDSSJ0946 1006 as photographed by Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The gravitational field of an elliptical galaxy warps the light of two galaxies exactly behind it. The massive foreground galaxy is almost perfectly aligned in the sky with two background galaxies at different distances. The foreground galaxy is 3 billion light-years away, the inner ring and outer ring are comprised of multiple images of two galaxies at a distance of 6 and approximately 11 billion light-years. The odds of seeing such a special alignment are estimated to be 1 in 10,000. The right panel is a zoom onto the lens showing two concentric partial ring-like structures after subtracting the glare of the central, foreground galaxy.
