Astronomers are over the Moon. The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has detected a rare halo of bright light. The glow surrounds a nearby galaxy, according to a report issued by the group on Monday.
The halo is called an “Einstein ring.” It encircles a galaxy 590 million light-years away. By cosmic standards, that’s close. One light-year is farther than 5.8 trillion miles. For reference the Sun is only 93 million miles away.
Scientists chose the name Einstein ring to honor Albert Einstein. He first described how large objects can distort the space around them. In a process known as “gravitational lensing,” a galaxy (or other large mass) can magnify the light from galaxies behind it. The light bends in such a way as to perfectly encircle a closer object. The result is similar to peering through an enormous magnifying glass.
Using an Einstein ring, scientists can study details of places impossible to see even with modern telescopes.
The light creating newly found halo comes from a much more distant galaxy. Astronomers have known about this far-off cluster for more than a century. However, the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics reports they were surprised when the Euclid telescope revealed the bright glowing ring.
In this case, that closer body is a well-known galaxy in the constellation Draco. The faraway galaxy creating the ring is more than four billion light-years away.
Conor O’Riordan of Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics was lead author for the report about the Einstein ring. He says “All strong lenses are special, because they’re so rare, and they’re incredibly useful scientifically,” he said in a statement. “This one is particularly special, because it’s so close to Earth and the alignment makes it very beautiful.”
Euclid rocketed from Florida in 2023. NASA is taking part in its mission to detect dark energy and dark matter in the universe. Another part of its mission is “to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe.”
Space exploration is exciting and useful—perhaps especially for those who know its Creator and Builder—the One by whom all things exist.
All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. — Colossians 1:16-17