gravitational lens

noun Astronomy.

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.

Origin of gravitational lens

First recorded in 1975–80

Words nearby gravitational lens

gravitational, gravitational collapse, gravitational constant, gravitational field, gravitational interaction, gravitational lens, gravitational mass, gravitational radius, gravitational redshift, gravitational ulcer, gravitational wave

British Dictionary definitions for gravitational lens

gravitational lens

noun

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

Scientific definitions for gravitational lens

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.