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"in 1974 I experienced an invasion of my mind by a transcendentally rational mind, as if I had been insane all my life and suddenly I had become sane."
- Philip K. Dick
 |
| Gravity Lens | ||
| An optical lens created using the lightbending properties of gravity. |
The classic experiment to demonstrate the lightbending properties of large masses was performed in 1919. And in 1936, Albert Einstein published a further prediction that immense gravitational fields would bend and focus light as an optical lens would.
Finally, you can get the same effect without a solar-sized mass.
| "How do you like my telescope?" Alice said "The whole sky?" "It's a gravity lens ... You know that a gravity field bends light? Good. I can make a field that warps light into a focus. It's lenticular, shaped like a red blood platelet. |
| From Protector,
by Larry Niven. Published by Del Rey in 1973 Additional resources -
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Gravity Lens-related
news articles:
- A First: Planet Found With Gravitational Microlensing
| SolarXOne Solar-Powered Drone Flies (almost) Forever |
| Experts Decry Planet-Scale Schemes To Limit Global Heating |
| Shine On, Portable Wind Turbine |
| The Mojo Smart Contact Lens Experience |
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Then some unknown race had chanced upon the dreamers and decided to 'help them out.'
'... you had your trademark Lucky Dragon Global Interactive Video Column outside.'
'It's an Indian Air Force drone; its solar cells could power an entire farm.'
'... we were supposed to be forming five unit composites first."
'We send our eyes on their appointed rounds, and they can hover or soar or back up...'
'Light from the sun hit those little spheres and bounced.'
'... the two pairs of waldoes in the screen followed in exact, simultaneous parallelism.'
