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Gravitational Lenses (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library)

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Gravitational lenses are one of the most beautiful manifestations of Einstein's theory of General Relativity. The book explains how from the equations of GR, a massive star that is in the line of sight between us and a distant bright star can cause the production of multiple images. Several of these have been observed in the visible spectrum. Eloquent images.

Thus, the book also goes into the observational evidence for such lensing. This involves testing the light from the purported images, to affirm whether or not the spectral properties of the images are similar enough that they are in fact images of the same star. Are the redshifts the same, for example?

It is also shown that the lensing also gives us a diagnostic handle on the star doing the lensing. Very useful, as the star might be so distant in its own right as to preclude several other types of analysis.