A new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a stunning example of an Einstein ring galaxy, 19.5 billion light-years away from Earth. The galaxy, known as HerS 020941.1+001557, appears as a red arc partially encircling a foreground elliptical galaxy located 2.7 billion light-years away.
The alignment of the three galaxies – HerS 020941.1+001557, SDSS J020941.27+001558.4, and SDSS J020941.23+001600.7 – creates an Einstein ring, a phenomenon where light from a distant galaxy is bent around a massive foreground object. The resulting ring shape is magnified and distorted by the gravitational lensing effect.
This discovery highlights the importance of citizen science projects like SPACE WARPS, which allowed a team of scientists to identify the Einstein ring in the Hubble image. The partial Einstein ring in this image is both beautiful and noteworthy, providing researchers with a unique opportunity to study the effects of gravitational lensing on light from distant galaxies.
Source: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-images-galaxies-near-and-far