The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has spotted a unusual glowing ring encircling a close-by galaxy, according to astronomers.
The halo, referred to as an “Einstein ring,” surrounds a galaxy located 590 million light-years distant, which is relatively near from a cosmic perspective.
For over a hundred years, astronomers have been aware of this galaxy, but they were astonished when Euclid unveiled the vivid luminous ring, as documented in the scientific publication Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Valeria Pettorino, the Euclid project scientist at the European Space Agency (ESA), noted in a statement that it is highly fascinating that this ring-like structure was spotted inside a prominent galaxy identified back in 1884.
“The galaxy has been known to astronomers for a very long time. And yet this ring was never observed before,” she added.
This shows the remarkable capability of Euclid, uncovering new insights even in areas we believed were thoroughly familiar to us.
Euclid’s six-year mission
An Einstein ring consists of light from a far-off galaxy that bends so precisely around an intervening object, resulting in a perfect circle. In this instance, the intermediary object is a prominent galaxy located within the Draco constellation.
The distant galaxy responsible for forming the ring is over 4.4 billion light-years from Earth.
The light from this far-off galaxy was bent due to gravity, which led to the naming honoring Albert Einstein. This phenomenon is referred to as gravitational lensing.
“Every powerful lens holds particular significance due to their scarcity and immense scientific utility. Specifically, this lens stands out as exceptional because it is remarkably near Earth and exhibits stunning beauty owing to its precise alignment,” stated Conor O’Riordan from Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in an official release.
Euclid embarked on a six-year expedition from Florida to investigate the mysterious cosmos in July 2023.
As stated by the ESA, the telescope aims to chart one-third of the celestial sphere and study countless galaxies.
