And the invisible becomes visible. The Euclid of the European Telescope, launched on July 1, 2023, made a discovery qualified as “impressive” by the European Space Agency (ESA): an Einstein ring “hidden in view of all” in the NGC 6505 galaxy, located Relatively close to Earth, about 590 light years. If the galaxy was discovered in 1884, ESA indicates that it is the first time that the ring that has surrounded its center has been detected.
This very rare phenomenon, which is an example of gravitational lens, or gravitational mirage, is caused by the distortion of the light of a brilliant object. In the case of the ring discovered by Euclid, it consists of the light of a more distant galaxy, distorted under the effect of gravity during its way to us, ESA explains. Located at 4.42 billion light years, it has never been observed and still has no name.
The European Space Agency specifies that the rings …