<p>There are actually quite a few examples of this. A particularly nice one, where you can see star-forming substructure within the distant, lensed galaxy (the extended, vertical "snake" structure just right of center), is <a href="https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1747a/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this HST image</a>:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/SoPaP.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/SoPaP.jpg" alt="HST image of background galaxy lensed by cluster MACSJ1206.2-0847"></a></p>

<p>This is another HST-based example, in which the same background galaxy is lensed multiple times (indicated by white ovals) by an intervening galaxy cluster, with a reconstruction of the background galaxy in undistorted form shown in the lower-left:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/1rskq.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/1rskq.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a>
<a href="https://www.space.com/14481-hubble-photo-brightest-galaxy-gravitational-lens.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.space.com/14481-hubble-photo-brightest-galaxy-gravitational-lens.html</a></p>

<p>People have even obtained spatial resolved spectroscopy within the lensed galaxies, as discussed in <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1503.07873" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this paper</a> (which includes spectroscopy of the first lensed galaxy pictured above).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-25T11:11:48.600Z
2019-01-25T11:11:48.600Z
Peter Erwin
<p>There are several different classifications of gravitational lensing phenomenon.</p>

<p>Here I am asking for any examples of strong lensing where the lensed image of an extended object is magnified and recognizable as an extended object. Of course it may be distorted somewhat, but if the lensed object is a galaxy, then the lensed image should appear larger and "galaxy-shaped" even though distorted. If it's a tight pattern of stars or other objects, then the pattern should be larger.</p>

<p>I have a strong memory of reading about such a case in Nature or Science within the last few years, but I can not find it. I believe that the nearer, <em>lensing</em> object was a galaxy.</p>

<observational-astronomy><gravitational-lensing><deep-sky-observing>
Cases of gravitational lensing resulting in a recognizable image of an extended object?
uhoh
# Cases of gravitational lensing resulting in a recognizable image of an extended object?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-01-25)

There are several different classifications of gravitational lensing phenomenon.

Here I am asking for any examples of strong lensing where the lensed image of an extended object is magnified and recognizable as an extended object. Of course it may be distorted somewhat, but if the lensed object is a galaxy, then the lensed image should appear larger and "galaxy-shaped" even though distorted. If it's a tight pattern of stars or other objects, then the pattern should be larger.

I have a strong memory of reading about such a case in Nature or Science within the last few years, but I can not find it. I believe that the nearer, *lensing* object was a galaxy.

**Tags:** observational-astronomy, gravitational-lensing, deep-sky-observing


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-01-25. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

There are actually quite a few examples of this. A particularly nice one, where you can see star-forming substructure within the distant, lensed galaxy (the extended, vertical "snake" structure just right of center), is [this HST image](https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1747a/):

[![HST image of background galaxy lensed by cluster MACSJ1206.2-0847](https://i.sstatic.net/SoPaP.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/SoPaP.jpg)

This is another HST-based example, in which the same background galaxy is lensed multiple times (indicated by white ovals) by an intervening galaxy cluster, with a reconstruction of the background galaxy in undistorted form shown in the lower-left:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/1rskq.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/1rskq.jpg)
<https://www.space.com/14481-hubble-photo-brightest-galaxy-gravitational-lens.html>

People have even obtained spatial resolved spectroscopy within the lensed galaxies, as discussed in [this paper](https://arxiv.org/abs/1503.07873) (which includes spectroscopy of the first lensed galaxy pictured above).


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