Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Einstein Cross Gravitational Lens

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 4, 2026 is “The Einstein Cross Gravitational Lens,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit & License: NSF , NOIRLab , AURA , WIYN ; Processing: J. Rhoads ( Arizona State U. ) et al.. The original explanation runs about 137 words.

A faint galaxy near the center of the image shows four bright spots near its center. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit & License: NSF , NOIRLab , AURA , WIYN ; Processing: J. Rhoads ( Arizona State U. ) et al. Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Most galaxies have a single nucleus — does this galaxy have four? The strange answer leads astronomers to conclude that the nucleus of the surrounding galaxy is not even visible in this image .”

— APOD editors, January 4, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
January 4, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & License: NSF , NOIRLab , AURA , WIYN ; Processing: J. Rhoads ( Arizona State U. ) et al.
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 137 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 4 in other years

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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.