Hubble Sees Supernovae Split into Four Images by Gravitational Lens

Astronomers using NASA’s  Hubble Space Telescope have spotted for the first time a distant supernova split into four images. The multiple images of the exploding star are caused by the powerful gravity of a foreground elliptical galaxy embedded in a massive cluster of galaxies.
This unique observation will help astronomers refine their estimates of the amount and distribution of dark matter in the lensing galaxy and cluster. Dark matter cannot be seen directly but is believed to make up most of the universe’s mass.

These observations were taken as part of the Frontier Fields Survey.

Please join +Tony Darnell Dr.+Carol Christian and +Scott Lewis as they discuss these exciting observations with members of the Frontier Fields Team.

Frontier Fields Blog:

25th Anniversary Page:

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Bring your questions and comments and we'll read them on air throughout the hangout!

#Space   #Astronomy   #Hubble   #STEM   #Hypergiant

[thornews]

"Vera Rubin convinced her fellow Astronomers that galaxies are mostly made of Dark Matter. (Photo by JACK PARSONS)" From the Book 'Space & Astronomy: Decade by Decade' - Yo, y'all thanks for teaching me so much about Science, Astronomy and it's amazing origins. Sincerely, Harry Potter

[aardvarkmindshank]

Nice job again guys. Very interesting.

[durgeshkinnerkar]

Mr.Tony Darnell you are am your big fan and even a big space fan please be active on your other channel "Deep Astronomy" and this channel is also awesome

[thornews]

Are you guys all super jazzed excited can't wait for the James Webb Space Telescope? I hear that thing is going to be Amazing. Only 3* more years!

[thornews]

What is the Hubble's record for staying fixed on one specific object?

[thornews]

WHERE is the Closest Gravitiation Lens? oooohhh. that's a good one. +7 points gryffindor

[thornews]

How soon before my car will be clean energy powered by Dark Matter or Gravitational Lensing?

[Invitingsauce]

not long enough. Haha. Excellent as always. You guys should really try and plan a double episode on a really great topic. Like the next big press release or something.

[thornews]

Do stars ever blow off layers in a controlled like caterpillar to butterfly symphony SuperNova? If you find one like that will you call it the Monarch Starlord?

[Dooley]

If gravity bends light, how do we know we're not looking at the same old light going round and round in circles?
I've been musing over this for years but never thought of putting it on here. Happily, I came across Jah Kable's post suggesting the same thing. His conversation was closed though, but I don't think the question was answered. The question is; if light can be refracted by a strong gravitational field, black hole, sun, etc. then given enough objects in its path, could it not be slingshot all over the universe? If this is true, all the stars we can see at night might be (have once been) in a radically different position to where we see them now. We might even be seeing light from the same star in two places, or more. Imagine light is a ribbon strewn around the universe, twisted round gravitational objects. If that ribbon happened to pass by Earth more than once, we'd count it more than once in our sky, and each time it would look a different age and as if it were coming from a completely different direction.
 There must be someone who can calculate whether this is possible or not! Trouble is, how would we know which objects are (were) real and therefore capable of bending the light and which are the resultant image of light that's already done umpteen laps of the cosmos?! It's bending my head , i know that much!

[rdsman]

Can you unscramble the lensed image and determine it's distance?

[thornews]

Will Wall Street ever offer Credit Default Swaps in case the Sun goes Supernova?

[edsmith]

How do the other scopes play into these images?

[thornews]

Isn't gravity more like water than air? 

[thornews]

Did a mini galaxy slam into Mars and cause Valles MarinEris? 

[thornews]

I have a serious request. Can you guys or your pals use the Hubble to image dwarf planet Eris and dwarf planet VP113 for me and others? What if Eris is Molten Gold Lava Iron Ice? That'd be cool, yo. 

[thornews]

Isn't an unbroken beam of light both at point A (Origin point) and at point B Its farthest point away. Time is solely based on perception. if there is no perpection. there is no time. I'm a D- student, so forgive my foolish public school thinking and stuff. 

[autorog]

I messed up...Gravitational lensing wasn't known when I dated my first wife...was I suprised!

[autorog]

she has 5 involuntary human satellites.

[restybal]

How do you know the light was bent by gravity rather than by the greater abundance of matter toward the center of the galaxy cluster? Much like the light being bent by a prism where the light is bent toward the thicker part of the glass.