Einstein Ring Gravitational Lens: SDSS J125028.25+052349.0: This object is named SDSS J125028.25+052349.0. It is one of eight similar objects found by combining two powerful astronomical assets, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The objects are know as ‘Eienstein rings’ and are perhaps the most elegant manifestations of the gravitational lensing phenomina. Gravitational lensing occurs when the gravitational field from a massive object warps space and deflects light from a distant object behind it, allowing the distant object to be seen. Einstein rings are produced when two galaxies are almost perfectly aligned, one behind the other, giving an image like this with a reddish-white elliptical galaxy in the foreground and a thin ring of blue surrounding it — which is in fact the distorted light from another galaxy twice as far away.

Name: SDSS J125028.25+052349.0
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : Gravitationally Lensed
Category: CosmologyGalaxies
Constellation: Virgo
Distance: z=0.231 (redshift)
Release date: 17 November 2005, 19:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Bolton (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) and the SLACS Team

Einstein Ring Gravitational Lens: SDSS J140228.21+632133.5: This object is named SDSS J140228.21+632133.5. It is one of eight similar objects found by combining two powerful astronomical assets, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The objects are know as ‘Eienstein rings’ and are perhaps the most elegant manifestations of the gravitational lensing phenomina. Gravitational lensing occurs when the gravitational field from a massive object warps space and deflects light from a distant object behind it, allowing the distant object to be seen. Einstein rings are produced when two galaxies are almost perfectly aligned, one behind the other, giving an image like this with a reddish-white elliptical galaxy in the foreground and a thin ring of blue surrounding it — which is in fact the distorted light from another galaxy twice as far away.

Name: SDSS J140228.21+632133.5
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : Gravitationally Lensed
Category: CosmologyGalaxies
Constellation: Draco
Distance: z=0.204 (redshift)
Release date: 17 November 2005, 19:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Bolton (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) and the SLACS Team

Einstein Ring Gravitational Lens: SDSS J162746.44-005357.5: This object is named SDSS J162746.44-005357.5. It is one of eight similar objects found by combining two powerful astronomical assets, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The objects are know as ‘Eienstein rings’ and are perhaps the most elegant manifestations of the gravitational lensing phenomina. Gravitational lensing occurs when the gravitational field from a massive object warps space and deflects light from a distant object behind it, allowing the distant object to be seen. Einstein rings are produced when two galaxies are almost perfectly aligned, one behind the other, giving an image like this with a reddish-white elliptical galaxy in the foreground and a thin ring of blue surrounding it — which is in fact the distorted light from another galaxy twice as far away.

Name: SDSS J162746.44-005357.5
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : Gravitationally Lensed
Category: CosmologyGalaxies
Constellation: Ophiuchus
Distance: z=0.207 (redshift)
Release date: 17 November 2005, 19:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Bolton (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) and the SLACS Team

Einstein Ring Gravitational Lens: SDSS J163028.15+452036.2: This object is named SDSS J163028.15+452036.2. It is one of eight similar objects found by combining two powerful astronomical assets, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The objects are know as ‘Eienstein rings’ and are perhaps the most elegant manifestations of the gravitational lensing phenomina. Gravitational lensing occurs when the gravitational field from a massive object warps space and deflects light from a distant object behind it, allowing the distant object to be seen. Einstein rings are produced when two galaxies are almost perfectly aligned, one behind the other, giving an image like this with a reddish-white elliptical galaxy in the foreground and a thin ring of blue surrounding it — which is in fact the distorted light from another galaxy twice as far away.

Name: SDSS J163028.15+452036.2
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : Gravitationally Lensed
Category: CosmologyGalaxies
Constellation: Hercules
Distance: z=0.248 (redshift)
Release date: 17 November 2005, 19:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Bolton (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) and the SLACS Team

Einstein Ring Gravitational Lens: SDSS J232120.93-093910.2: This object is named SDSS J232120.93-093910.2. It is one of eight similar objects found by combining two powerful astronomical assets, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The objects are know as ‘Eienstein rings’ and are perhaps the most elegant manifestations of the gravitational lensing phenomina. Gravitational lensing occurs when the gravitational field from a massive object warps space and deflects light from a distant object behind it, allowing the distant object to be seen. Einstein rings are produced when two galaxies are almost perfectly aligned, one behind the other, giving an image like this with a reddish-white elliptical galaxy in the foreground and a thin ring of blue surrounding it — which is in fact the distorted light from another galaxy twice as far away.

Name: SDSS J232120.93-093910.2
Type: Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : Gravitationally Lensed
Category: CosmologyGalaxies
Constellation: Aquarius
Distance: z=0.081 (redshift)
Release date: 17 November 2005, 19:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Bolton (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) and the SLACS Team

Polaris A and Polaris B: The North Star is actually a triple star system. Here we can see two of the stars, Polaris A and Polaris B.

Name: Alpha Ursae Minoris, North Star, Polaris, Polaris A, Polaris B
Type: Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Main SequenceMilky Way : Star : Grouping : Triple
Category: Stars
Constellation: Ursa Minor
Distance: 400 light years
Release date: 9 January 2006, 15:20
Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Evans (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), and H. Bond (STScI)

Artist's concept of Polaris system: This is a view from within the Polaris triple star system. The North Star, Polaris A is a bright supergiant variable star. Just above Polaris is a small companion, Polaris Ab, which is 2 billion miles (about 3.2 billion kilometres) from Polaris. Much farther away, near the top of the illustration, is the wide companion Polaris B. Polaris B is located approximately 240 billion miles (about 386 billion kilometres) from Polaris A. The two companion stars are the same temperature as Polaris A, but are dwarf stars.

Name: Alpha Ursae Minoris, North Star, Polaris, Polaris A, Polaris B
Type: Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Main SequenceMilky Way : Star : Grouping : Triple
Category: Stars
Distance: 400 light years
Release date: 9 January 2006, 15:20
Credit: NASA, ESA, G. Bacon (STScI)

Artist's Concept of Polaris System - Annotated: This is a view from within the Polaris triple star system. The North Star, Polaris A is a bright supergiant variable star. Just above Polaris is a small companion, Polaris Ab, which is 2 billion miles from Polaris. Much farther away, near the top of the illustration, is the wide companion Polaris B. Polaris B is located approximately 240 billion miles (about 386 billion kiloometres) from Polaris A. The two companion stars are the same temperature as Polaris A, but are dwarf stars.

Name: Alpha Ursae Minoris, North Star, Polaris, Polaris A, Polaris B
Type: Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Main Sequence
Category: Stars
Distance: 400 light years
Release date: 9 January 2006, 15:20
Credit: NASA, ESA, G. Bacon (STScI)