Einstein Cross
Einstein Cross proper noun: a quadruply replicated image of a quasar, in the configuration of a cross, surrounding a central foreground galaxy which caused the replication through gravitational lensing.
Proper noun
the Einstein Cross
- A quadruply replicated image of a quasar, in the configuration of a cross, surrounding a central foreground galaxy which caused the replication through gravitational lensing.
Noun capitalized: Einstein cross
Einstein cross (plural Einstein crosses)
- A gravitational lens configuration resulting in four duplicated images of the back ground image around the central gravitationally lensing object, in a cross configuration.
Forms of Einstein Cross
| plural | Einstein crosses |
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Origin of Einstein Cross
A capitalization of Einstein cross.
From Einstein (“Albert Einstein”) + cross. From the shape of a cross, of four points at roughly square angles around a central object, caused by distortions in the path of light's travel due to Einsteinian relativity (Albert Einstein's general relativity) creating four points out of a single light source behind the off-center central object. (An on-center central object results in an Einstein ring.).
Questions about Einstein Cross
- What does Einstein Cross mean?
- Einstein Cross means a quadruply replicated image of a quasar, in the configuration of a cross, surrounding a central foreground galaxy which caused the replication through gravitational lensing.
- What part of speech is Einstein Cross?
- Einstein Cross can be a proper noun or a noun.
Words near Einstein Cross in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Einstein Cross (page history and authors); Einstein cross (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “Einstein Cross.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/einstein_cross. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.