Astronomers have discovered a stunning example of an Einstein ring, a rare phenomenon where light is bent and magnified by the gravity of a massive object. The ring was found circling the galaxy NGC 6505 in data collected by the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope.
The discovery is special because it’s extremely close to Earth and the alignment makes it exceptionally beautiful. An Einstein ring forms when massive objects warp space-time, causing light from distant galaxies to be bent and magnified. In this case, the light from a galaxy 4.42 billion light-years away was warped by the gravity of NGC 6505.
The closeness of the galaxy to Earth and the alignment of its mass with that of the observer make the ring particularly striking. Only five other lenses have been discovered at such close distances, making this discovery astonishingly rare. The telescope’s ability to detect the ring is a testament to its functionality, and it shows great promise for future discoveries.
The newly discovered galaxy is yet to be named and has never been seen before in detail. However, scientists are eager to study it further using the Euclid telescope. The discovery of this Einstein ring demonstrates the incredible capabilities of the Euclid mission and provides a unique opportunity to learn more about dark matter and dark energy.
Astronomers plan to name the object Altieri’s Lens after Bruno Altieri, who first discovered the anomaly in Euclid data from 2023. This groundbreaking discovery has been published in Astronomy & Astrophysics and is an exciting moment for the scientific community.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/astronomers-amazed-by-perfect-einstein-ring-gleaming-in-space