Gravitational Lensing Animation [HD]

First observationally confirmed in 1979, gravitational lenses were predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity, a theory that allows astronomers to calculate the path of starlight as it moves through curved space-time. According to the theory, the bending of light is brought about by the presence of matter in the Universe, which causes the fabric of space-time to warp and curve.

Gravitational lensing is the result of this warping of spacetime and is mainly detected around very massive galaxy clusters. Due to the gravitational effect of both the cluster's observable matter and hidden dark matter, the light is bent around the cluster. This bending of light allows the clusters in certain places to act as natural gravitational telescopes that give the light of faint and faraway objects a boost.

Where Earth-bound telescopes fail to detect such faint and distant objects due to the blurring introduced by the Earth's atmosphere, a combination of Hubble's location in space and the magnification of the gravitation lenses provides astronomers with a birds-eye view of these elusive objects.

This technique has already been used numerous times by Hubble and has helped astronomers to find and study many of the most distant known galaxies.

credit: ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen)

[FreudianComplex]

Good video, good way to find black holes. :)

[AztecMoogle]

Could I use this video as a gif image for a background?