Galaxy Cluster SDSS J1004+4112 and Lensed Quasar
Date: 23 May 2006
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: Quasar lensed by galaxy cluster SDSS J1004+4112
Copyright: European Space Agency, NASA, Keren Sharon (Tel-Aviv University) and Eran Ofek (CalTech)
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This full-size Hubble image shows galaxy cluster SDSS J1004+4112 that was discovered as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. It is one of the more distant clusters known (seven billion light-years, redshift z=0.68), and is seen when the Universe was half its present age.
The image is the first-ever picture of a single distant quasar lensed into five images and also shows a rich abundance of arcs from lensed background galaxies and even a supernova. Four of the five quasar images are seen as star-like images surrounding the centre of the cluster. The fifth quasar image is embedded to the right of the core of the central galaxy in the cluster.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
