Gravitational Lens and Quasar PG1115+080
Depicts: PG1115+080
Copyright: Christopher D. Impey (University of Arizona)
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The light from the single quasar PG 1115+080 is split and
distorted in this infrared image. PG 1115+080 is at a distance of about
8 billion light years in the constellation Leo, and it is viewed through
an elliptical galaxy lens at a distance of 3 billion light years. The
NICMOS frame is taken at a wavelength of 1.6 microns and it shows the
four images of the quasar (the two on the left are nearly merging)
surrounding the galaxy that causes the light to be lensed. The quasar
is a variable light source and the light in each image travels a different
path to reach the Earth. The time delay of the variations allows the
distance scale to be measured directly. The linear streaks on the image
are diffraction artifacts in the NICMOS instrument (NASA/Space Telescope
Science Institute).
Last Update: 1 September 2019
