IRC 0218

IRC -0128A
Observation data (Epoch J2000)
Constellation(s)Cetus
Right ascension02h 18m 21.3s[1]
Declination−05° 10′ 27″
Redshift1.62
Other designations
XMM-LSS J02182-05102

The galaxy cluster IRC 0218 (also known as XMM-LSS J02182−05102) hosts the most distant strong gravitational lensing galaxy currently known at a redshift of z = 1.62. The lens is one of the two brightest cluster galaxies and is lensing a background star-forming galaxy at a redshift of z = 2.26 into a bright arc and a faint counterimage. The lens was discovered through a combination of Hubble Space Telescope and Keck telescope imaging and spectroscopy. The discovery and subsequent analysis of the lens was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters on June 23, 2014 by an international team of astronomers led by Dr. Kim-Vy Tran from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas and team members Dr. Kenneth Wong and Dr. Sherry Suyu from the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Taipei, Taiwan.[2][3]

The coordinates of the lens are 02h18m21.5s -05d10m19.9s.

Gravitational Lensing by Galaxy in Cluster IRC 0218.[3]
  1. ^ "ClG J0218-0510". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  2. ^ Wong, K.; et al. (2014). "Discovery of a Strong Lensing Galaxy Embedded in a Cluster at z = 1.62". Astrophysical Journal Letters. 789 (2): L31. arXiv:1405.3661. Bibcode:2014ApJ...789L..31W. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/789/2/L31. S2CID 56376674.
  3. ^ a b Harrington, J.D.; Weaver, Donna; Villard, Ray (31 July 2014). "RELEASE 14-205 - Hubble Shows Farthest Lensing Galaxy Yields Clues to Early Universe". NASA. Retrieved 1 August 2014.