Scientists photographed the Einstein Ring, proving the warping of space
World
A dazzling image taken by researchers shows starlight bending under the gravitational pull of a galaxy located 4 billion light-years away. This phenomenon reveals how extremely space is warped by the gravity of the galaxy.
The Euclid space telescope has captured the warping of light due to gravity, a phenomenon known as the Einstein Ring.
The image shows a perfect ring of light around the galaxy NGC 6505. This ring appears because light from a more distant galaxy, 4.42 billion light-years away, is bent around the foreground galaxy, altering its path.
According to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, light bends when passing near massive objects. Galaxies act as giant lenses, distorting the shapes of distant cosmic objects.
Scientists are studying this ring to determine the mass of the foreground galaxy and the presence of dark matter. Research suggests that around 11% of the mass of NGC 6505 consists of dark matter.
The €1 billion Euclid mission, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), aims to create the largest 3D map of the universe and study dark energy, which accelerates cosmic expansion.
The telescope can observe objects up to 10 billion light-years away but also demonstrates unmatched precision in capturing details of nearby galaxies.
ESA scientist Valeria Pettorino commented:
"This galaxy has been known to astronomers since 1884, yet this ring was never observed before. This proves how powerful the Euclid telescope truly is!"
This image could play a crucial role in understanding dark matter and dark energy, two of the most mysterious forces in the universe.
The image shows a perfect ring of light around the galaxy NGC 6505. This ring appears because light from a more distant galaxy, 4.42 billion light-years away, is bent around the foreground galaxy, altering its path.
According to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, light bends when passing near massive objects. Galaxies act as giant lenses, distorting the shapes of distant cosmic objects.
Scientists are studying this ring to determine the mass of the foreground galaxy and the presence of dark matter. Research suggests that around 11% of the mass of NGC 6505 consists of dark matter.
The €1 billion Euclid mission, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), aims to create the largest 3D map of the universe and study dark energy, which accelerates cosmic expansion.
The telescope can observe objects up to 10 billion light-years away but also demonstrates unmatched precision in capturing details of nearby galaxies.
ESA scientist Valeria Pettorino commented:
"This galaxy has been known to astronomers since 1884, yet this ring was never observed before. This proves how powerful the Euclid telescope truly is!"
This image could play a crucial role in understanding dark matter and dark energy, two of the most mysterious forces in the universe.
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