CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — The Euclid space telescope, operated by Europe, has recently detected a rare and remarkable halo of luminous light enveloping a neighboring galaxy, as detailed by astronomers in a report issued on Monday. This halo, scientifically referred to as an Einstein ring, encircles a galaxy positioned approximately 590 million light-years away, a relatively short distance in the vast expanse of the cosmos. It is crucial to note that a light-year spans an immense distance of 5.8 trillion miles.
The existence of this galaxy has been acknowledged by astronomers for over a century, yet the revelation of the brilliant glowing ring by Euclid took them aback, as outlined in the publication featured in the esteemed journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. An Einstein ring materializes when light originating from a significantly more distant galaxy curves in a manner that results in a perfect encircling of a closer object, in this instance, a well-known galaxy situated within the constellation Draco. The galaxy responsible for creating the ring lies at a distance exceeding 4 billion light-years, with the phenomenon attributed to the gravitational distortion of light from this distant celestial body. This remarkable process is known as gravitational lensing, paying homage to the renowned physicist Albert Einstein.
Lead author Conor O’Riordan, affiliated with Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, expressed, “All strong lenses possess a unique quality due to their rarity and significant scientific utility. This particular discovery holds exceptional significance due to its proximity to Earth and the alignment that renders it visually striking.” Euclid embarked on its mission from Florida in 2023, with NASA actively participating in endeavors aimed at detecting dark energy and dark matter within the universe.
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