Gravitational lensing detection. Artwork of the Spitzer Space Telescope (SST, lower right) being used to detect dark objects by a technique called gra

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Gravitational lensing detection. Artwork of the Spitzer Space Telescope (SST, lower right) being used to detect dark objects by a technique called gravitational lensing. Dark objects (such as planets, black holes and failed stars) do not emit light. Their presence can, however, be detected when light is bent around them Here, a dark object is moving across the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC, centre left). The Earth is at upper centre. The dark object is below the Earth, just to the right of the SMC, and has produced a double image of the object behind it.

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Size: 2648px × 3310px
Photo credit: © NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: artwork, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, black, cloud, dark, detecting, detection, dwarf, earth, galaxy, gravitational, hole, holes, illustration, infrared, ir, lensing, magellanic, matter, method, object, objects, planet, planets, research, satellite, small, smc, solar, space, spitzer, sst, star, stars, system, telescope, universe