Relativistic Aberration and the Cosmological Constant in Gravitational Lensing I: Introduction

An analysis of null geodesics in Schwarzschild de Sitter space is presented with special attention to their global `bending angles', local measurable angles, and the involvement of the cosmological constant. We make use of a general technique which allows for finding observable intersection angles of null trajectories analytically. A general relativistic aberration relationship is established as one of its applications. The question of whether or not the cosmological constant, $\Lambda$, contributes to orbits of light and to related observable quantities is addressed in detail. We also discuss the ongoing debate on this issue and respond to some recent papers on the topic. The dependence of measurable quantities on the motion of observers is stressed throughout. Exact formulas for measurable intersection angles, as well as gravitational lens equations for observers in the Schwarzschild de Sitter background are provided.