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Euclid Telescope Discovers Rare Einstein Ring Around Galaxy

Why in News?

The ESA’s Euclid telescope has discovered an Einstein ring around galaxy NGC 6505, located 590 million light-years away. This rare gravitational lensing phenomenon helps scientists study dark matter, distant galaxies, and the universe’s expansion.

Discovery of Einstein Ring:

• The European Space Agency (ESA)’s Euclid space telescope has discovered an Einstein ring around galaxy NGC 6505, located 590 million light-years from Earth.
• The images, captured in September 2023 and released recently, show a bright, cloudy ring around a luminous central galaxy.
• Stephen Serjeant, an astronomer at Open University, described the find as extraordinary and thrilling.
• The phenomenon was caused by NGC 6505 acting as a gravitational lens, bending and amplifying light from a distant unnamed galaxy 42 billion light-years away.

Importance of Studying Einstein Rings

• Einstein rings help scientists study dark matter, which makes up 85% of the universe’s matter but cannot be directly detected.
• Gravitational lensing provides indirect evidence of dark matter’s gravitational effects.
• These rings also help astronomers study distant galaxies that would otherwise be invisible.
• They provide insights into the expansion of the universe and how space is stretching between galaxies.
• Observing Einstein rings requires powerful space telescopes like Euclid.

What is an Einstein Ring?

• An Einstein ring is a ring of light that forms around dark matter, galaxies, or galaxy clusters due to gravitational lensing.
• Gravitational lensing occurs when a massive celestial body bends and magnifies the light from a more distant galaxy.
• The object causing the lensing is called a gravitational lens.
• This effect was predicted by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, proving that light can bend around massive objects.
• Einstein rings are rare, with less than 1% of galaxies estimated to have them.