About This Image
This picture captures a galaxy cluster called SDSS J1004+4112 that's so massive that its gravity bends light from galaxies behind it. The light of a distant quasar (the brilliant core of an active galaxy) has been bent around the cluster, appearing in five places in this image.
Scientific Significance
SDSS J1004+4112 is a powerful strong-lensing laboratory for reconstructing cluster mass distributions and dark matter substructure. It also magnifies distant background sources for early-universe studies.
Observation Details
Hubble high-resolution imaging measured lensed image positions, arcs, and brightnesses across filters, enabling detailed lens modeling and mass reconstruction.
Location in the Universe
Constellation
Leo Minor
Distance from Earth
7 billion light-years
Fun Facts
- 1
This system famously lenses one background quasar into multiple visible images.
- 2
Time delays between images let astronomers observe repeated quasar variability.
- 3
Lensing maps reveal dark matter structures not visible in starlight.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Space Telescope
