Help us weigh galaxies by hunting for gravitational lenses!Science Friday is partnering with citizen
Help us weigh galaxies by hunting for gravitational lenses!Science Friday is partnering with citizen science platform Zooniverse to help a team of astrophysicists identify galaxies showing an astronomical phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.Gravitational lensing occurs when the light coming from a galaxy, quasar, or other bright object is bent and distorted by a massive object in front of it, giving the light the appearance of passing through a “lens,” like how an image appears through a magnifying glass. These lenses are rare, but incredibly neat.The light distortion caused by a massive object provides a zoomed-in view of the galaxy or quasar behind it. The amount that the massive object in the foreground bends the light of the object behind it can provide a measure of its mass. So, a gravitational lens essentially allows us to weigh a galaxy. Pretty cool, right? But, we need your help to find more lenses! With the aid of the citizen science website Zooniverse, everyone can take part in this real, cutting-edge area of research. You can help contribute to making a real discovery!Want start hunting for gravitational lenses and contribute to scientific discovery? Go to spacewarps.org to help astronomers identify these special gravitational mirages or click here to learn how to participate! Photo by HSC-SSP/NAOJ, A. Sonnenfeld -- source link
#science#galaxies#citizen science#gravitational lensing