Gravity's light-bending effect seen in the dance of distant stars
Gravity's light-bending effect seen in the dance of distant stars
According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, the gravity from huge objects like stars and galaxies can curve the fabric of spacetime, to the point that passing light will bend from its usual straight path. This can alter how we see distant stars through a phenomenon called gravitational lensing, and now astronomers have seen a rare form of the process in action, directly observing a star bend the light of another, more distant star.
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