Gravitational-lens
noun, Astronomy.
1.
a heavy, dense body, as a galaxy, that lies along our line of sight to a more distant object, as a quasar, and whose gravitational field refracts the light of that object, splitting it into multiple images as seen from the earth.
noun
1.
(astronomy) a lenslike effect in which light rays are bent when passing through the gravitational field of such massive objects as galaxies or black holes
gravitational lens
A massive celestial object, such as a galaxy, whose gravity can act as a lens that functions to bend and focus the light of a more distant object. This results in a magnified, distorted, or multiple image of the original light source for a distant observer.
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