The Hubble Space Telescope, in its 35th year, continues to amaze us with its discoveries. In a new photograph, it captured a unique phenomenon – an Einstein ring created by gravitational lensing of a distant galaxy. This effect reveals the secrets of the Universe 11 billion years ago.
The distorted light of a ghost galaxy
The distant object has the appearance of a crescent – it is the light of the HerS 020941.1+001557 galaxy, which has traveled to us for 11 billion years. Given the expansion of the Universe, it is now 19.5 billion light years away from us. In the foreground, the crescent-shaped light is bent by the massive elliptical galaxy SDSS J020941.27+001558.4, which is much closer – 2.7 billion light-years away – and which acts as a natural lens. But in addition, the Einstein ring is crossed by a third galaxy, named SDSS J020941.23+001600.7, adding drama to the cosmic plot.
Magic of gravitational lenses
Gravitational lensing is a cosmic optical illusion where a massive object warps space-time and bends light from objects behind it. If the source, lens, and observer are perfectly aligned, the light forms a complete ring. In this case, the alignment is incomplete, so we only see the red arc. Such rings allow us to study galaxies that would otherwise be too dim for telescopes.
Einstein rings aren’t just impressive artifacts. They’re also:
- Help measure the mass of galaxies, including invisible dark matter.
- Reveal distant objects that would have remained invisible.
- Witness how space is curved by gravity, confirming the predictions of the theory of relativity.
Amateur’s find
Einstein’s ring was discovered by a member of the SPACE WARPS project, a platform where enthusiasts analyze astronomical images in search of gravitational lenses. This example shows how the collaboration of professionals and amateur astronomers is pushing the boundaries of science. Thanks to lensing, astronomers have obtained a magnified image of HerS 020941.1+001557, which is helping to investigate its structure and evolution.
We previously reported on how Euclid captured a unique space mirage.
According to NASA
