Gravitational lensing Hubble Space Telescope image of the Einstein cross G also known as Huchras cross after its discoverer John Huchra The photo shows five images the central spot is a relatively nearby galaxy while the four outer spots are images of a distant quasar Light from the quasar has been bent by the gravitation field of the intervening galaxy which acts as a giant lens forming four images of the quasar The quasar lies at a distance of around billion light years while the galaxy is time closer at million light years Einstein proposed the effect of gravitational lensing in