Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

A Network of Microlensing Caustics

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 15, 2002 is “A Network of Microlensing Caustics,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: Joachim Wambsganss ( Ap. Inst. Potsdam )). The original explanation runs about 147 words.

A Network of Microlensing Caustics
Credit & Copyright: Joachim Wambsganss ( Ap. Inst. Potsdam ) Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“A virtual sky map like this would be of interest to astronomers studying gravitational microlensing. In microlensing , the gravity of stars near the line of sight can act to magnify the light of background objects such as distant stars , or quasars .”

— APOD editors, December 15, 2002

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 15, 2002
Type
Image
Credit
Credit & Copyright: Joachim Wambsganss ( Ap. Inst. Potsdam )
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 147 words

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.