Einstein's Cross

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/einsteins-cross

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How heavy is Einstein's Cross?On the order of 10^13 to 10^14 solar masses
2. What is the designation?Q2237+0305
3. What is the type of lensing?Strong gravitational lensing, resulting in multiple images
4. Why does Einstein's Cross look like a cross?The four quasar images are arranged around the middle of the galaxy cluster, forming a cross shape when we look from Earth.
5. How does Einstein's Cross help scientists?By measuring where the images sit and how bright they are, astronomers can map the mass, including dark matter, inside the galaxy cluster.

General Relativity: Einstein's theory describing gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy.
Dark Matter: A hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light, making up a significant portion of the universe's mass.
Redshift: The stretching of light waves towards longer, redder wavelengths, indicating that an object is moving away from the observer.
Spacetime: The four-dimensional continuum that combines three dimensions of space and one dimension of time.