University of Florida astronomer reports rare case of gravitational lensing

University of Florida: GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- You could say that the odds of seeing it were astronomical. GAINESVILLE, Fla. — You could say that the odds of seeing it were astronomical. Yet there it was, 10 billion light-years from Earth, the most massive galaxy cluster ever seen at such a distance – with a gravity field so strong that it distorted the light of the galaxy behind it in a rare display called gravitational lensing. “When I first saw it, I kept staring at it, thinking it would go away,” said University of Florida astronomer Anthony Gonzalez, lead author of the study announcing the discovery. “The galaxy behind the cluster is a typical run-of-the-mill galaxy with a lot of young stars, but the galaxy cluster in front of it is a whopper for that range. However, it’s really the way that the two systems are lined up that makes the occurrence truly remarkable.” Gravitational lensing, or bending of light from the distant galaxy, has never been observed behind a cluster at this range. The team reports its findings in the July 10 issue of The Astrophysical Journal. The cluster’s mass is noteworthy because its distance from the telescope, 10 billion ...