Scientists say they have spotted a rare circle of light in space, which comes from a far-away galaxy which has never been observed before.
The Euclid space telescope captured images of the light, known as an Einstein ring, created by gravitational lensing around a different galaxy which is closer to Earth – 500 million light years away – which scientists say is a “stone’s throw away in cosmic terms”.
That closer galaxy – the foreground galaxy – is called NGC 6505. But the ring of light around its centre has never been detected before.
The ring is made up of light from a background galaxy 4.42 billion light-years away and what can be seen from Earth is distorted by gravity.
The distant galaxy itself has not been observed before and has not yet been named.
Such rings can help scientists test Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, according to Professor Thomas Collett, from the University of Portsmouth’s Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation.
“This lens is particularly special because it’s in our cosmic backyard: a ‘mere’ 500 million light-years away,” he said.
“In fact, it’s so close that astronomers first observed the [NGC 6505] galaxy in the 1880s, but only with the resolving power of Euclid can we now reveal that it’s a gravitational lens.
“Nearby lenses are exciting because they allow us to test the validity of general relativity on astronomical scales.”
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What is Einstein’s theory of general relativity?
Einstein’s theory of general relativity predicts light will bend around objects in space, so they focus the light like a giant lens – and the effect would be bigger for massive galaxies.
It allows astronomers to see light from distant galaxies that would otherwise remain hidden.
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‘This one is particularly special’
Conor O’Riordan of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany and lead author of the first scientific paper analysing the ring, said: “An Einstein ring is an example of strong gravitational lensing.
“All strong lenses are special, because they’re so rare, and they’re incredibly useful scientifically.
“This one is particularly special, because it’s so close to Earth and the alignment makes it very beautiful.”
The Euclid mission was launched in July 2023 and aims to create a 3D map of the universe by observing two billion galaxies. It will help scientists unravel the cosmic history of the universe.
