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thomasdotnet writes:

In a particularly stunning example of the Einstein Cross, astronomers have discovered a supernova that can be observed again and again. Gravitational lensing effects result in the light from the stellar explosion taking 4 different routes, each route taking a different amount of time to reach Earth. The star SN Refsdal is/was 9.3 billion light years from Earth, while the lensing galaxy cluster MACS J1149.6+2223 sits a little closer at 5 billion light years distant.

While this isn't the first example of the Einstein Cross effect proposed in 1969, it is the first example of a supernova being viewed through one.

The full paper is available on Sciencemag.org for a fee, but Physics World has an adequate summary of the discovery.

1. "thomasdotnet" - https://soylentnews.org/~thomasdotnet/
2. "Einstein Cross" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_lens
3. " Physics World has an adequate summary of the discovery." - http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2015/mar/05/gravitational-lensing-creates-einsteins-cross-of-distant-supernova

printed from SoylentNews, Einstein Cross Shows Us the Same Supernova Explosion Four Times on 2023-07-05 13:22:21