The chances of identifying a cosmic phenomenon such as a zigzag double gravitational lens are rated as one in 100 million, but astronomers, using the Webba Space Telescope, were still able to fix this rare object. This discovery was a significant breakthrough in the study of the universe, which confirms the correctness of Einstein's theory and opens new opportunities for the study of cosmological processes.
Gravitational lenses are a phenomenon in which gravity of massive objects, such as galaxies or accumulation of galaxies, distorts and enhances light from more distant objects. This phenomenon, which was first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1912, enables astronomers to observe those cosmic objects that would not be visible due to their distance or weakness of radiation. In the case of the J1721+8842 galaxy, scientists first recorded a special, zigzag double gravitational lens, which allowed them to see six images of a very distant quasar, located at a distance of 10.5 billion light years from Earth.
Initially, astronomers thought that the J1721+8842 galaxy is a regular gravitational lens, which only reinforces and distorts the light from the quasar. However, after more observations, it turned out that light passes through two massive objects. The first gravitational lens is located at a distance of 300 million light years from the quasar, and it distorts light, forming two images. The second lens, located at a distance of 2.3 billion light years, enhances this distortion, which leads to the formation of six images of the same quasar. This discovery is important not only for astronomy, but also for the solution of one of the main mysteries of modern cosmology - determining the exact value of the constant gabbla, which characterizes the speed of expansion of the universe. The detection of such unique lenses gives astronomers a new tool for accurate measurement of distances and speeds in space.
Such discoveries not only deepen our understanding of the basic laws of the universe, but also allow you to study the processes that occur at great distances, much exceeding the possibilities of modern telescopes. The existence of such double lenses can help astronomers study objects that, without this phenomenon, would not be seen. At the same time, as the case shows, observing such unique phenomena can help in the future more accurately measure the parameters of the universe, in particular, the value of the constant gabbla, which is still controversial and has different values depending on the measuring methods used.
Thus, the double gravitational lens that was managed to detect astronomers becomes not only an exciting scientific phenomenon, but also an important tool for solving one of the main cosmological secrets.
