What is Einstein’s Ring and its Significance?

The European Space Agency’s ambitious space telescope Euclid has made a groundbreaking discovery in our cosmic community – an extraordinary Einstein Ring. A rare Einstein orbits the galaxy ring of nearly 590 million light-years on Earth. This discovery provides valuable insight into the nature of gravitational lenses, dark matter and the expansion of the universe.

Our Dark Universe Detective 🕵️ @esa_euclid Discovered an amazing Einstein ring 💍

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It revolves around the Galaxy NGC 6505 that acts as a gravity lens, with the distant galaxy curved light behind it. pic.twitter.com/ovdbiqoeq6

– ESA Science (@esascience) February 10, 2025

Task Overview

Task name	release date	Objective	Key Instruments
Euclid	July 1, 2023	Study dark matter, dark energy and universe expansion	High resolution imaging and spectral analysis

Euclid conducted early testing in September 2023 before officially starting the mission. At this stage, the blurry image caught the attention of Euclid Archives scientist Bruno Altieri, revealing an important cosmic event.

Details found

feature	detail
The Milky Way	NGC 6505
Distance from the earth	~590 million light years
Background galaxy	Newly discovered, unnamed
Distance of background galaxies	4.42 billion light years
Detection method	Euclid’s high-resolution imaging

Expert opinions

Bruno Altieri (Euclid Archives Scientist)

“From the initial observation, I noticed something unique. With further analysis, the formation of the perfect Einstein ring becomes obvious. It is an extraordinary when a person is deeply fascinated by gravitational lenses moments.”

Conor O’Riordan (Max Planck Institute of Astrophysics)

“All strong shots are rare and scientifically valuable. However, this is especially special due to its proximity and almost perfect alignment, making it visually compelling.”

Valeria Pettorino (ESA Euclid Project Scientist)

“Surprisingly, since its first appearance in 1884, the ring has been found in an in-depth study of the Milky Way. This shows Euclid’s ability to discover new details even in the familiar cosmic structures. .”

The historical background of Einstein’s ring

The first Einstein ring was discovered in 1987. Since then, multiple rings have been identified, although their exact numbers are still unknown. These rings can only be observed in high-power space telescopes such as Euclid and Hubble.

What is an Einstein Ring?

Source: ESA

Einstein rings are rare phenomena caused by gravity lenses. Einstein’s ring is an almost perfect aperture, formed when distant galaxies are fully aligned with the large gravity lens in the foreground. As light from distant galaxies passes through huge foreground galaxies, its path is bent due to gravity, forming a symmetrical ring structure. Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicts this phenomenon.

Einstein’s general theory of relativity:

Source: Space.com

Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity (1915) interprets gravity as the bending of space-time in a large number of objects. This means that due to this warping, planets, stars and even light follow a curved path. It improves Newton’s theory of gravity by explaining Mercury’s orbit and predicting phenomena such as gravity lenses (bending light around a large number of objects) and gravitational waves (ripples in space-time). Ligo confirmed gravitational waves in 2015 (Laser Interferometer Gravity Wave Observation Station is a ground-based observation network that detects gravitational waves from space.

How did the Einstein ring form?

Source: ESA

Step by step process:

1. Light emission: A distant galaxy emits light in all directions.
2. Gravity lens: Large foreground galaxy (NGC 6505) bends light due to its huge gravity field.
3. Ring Forming: If perfectly aligned, light will surround the foreground galaxy, forming a bright Einstein ring.

Why is the Einstein Ring important?

Einstein’s ring is extremely rare, with less than 1% of galaxies showing this phenomenon. Their research has great scientific value:

1. Understanding dark matter: Dark matter, which accounts for about 85% of the total matter in the universe, does not interact with light, but has a gravity effect. As seen in Einstein’s ring, gravity lenses help astronomers indirectly detect and study dark matter.
2. Study distant galaxies: The magnification effect of gravity lenses allows scientists to observe distant galaxies that would otherwise be too weak to detect. This helps to understand the evolution of galaxies over billions of years.
3. Measuring the expansion of the universe: Space stretching between the Earth and distant galaxies provides key insights into the expansion of the universe. By analyzing Einstein’s ring, researchers can perfect their model of cosmic growth.

What is a gravity lens?

Source: Esaweb

Gravity lenses are a phenomenon in which a large number of objects, such as clusters of galaxies, bend and amplify light from distant celestial bodies behind them. As described in Einstein’s general theory of relativity, this effect occurs due to the gravitational field of these huge structures.

How does a gravity lens work?

As light from distant galaxies passes through the gravity field of the huge objects in the middle, the light bends, causing amplified and distorted image of the background galaxy. This effect is like the magnified glass of the universe, allowing astronomers to study distant and faint galaxies that were originally invisible.

What are the different types of gravity lenses?

1. Intensive lenses – This happens when a large object is significantly curved into light, producing multiple images, arcs, and even a complete Einstein ring of the background galaxy.
2. Weak lenses – cause slight distortions in the shape of the background galaxy, helping astronomers map dark matter distributions.
3. Microlens – This happens when a single star or smaller object briefly magnifies the light of the background star without creating multiple images.

The role of Euclid in future discoveries

Source: ESA

Euclid will revolutionize astrophysics by

• Draw a third of the sky and analyze billions of galaxies.
• Provide high-resolution images to perfect our understanding of dark matter, dark energy and universe expansion.
• Detect strong and weak gravity lens effects to create the most detailed 3D image ever.

Next step

Euclid officially began its detailed Sky investigation on February 14, 2024. The discovery of this Einstein ring so early in the mission suggests that more groundbreaking discoveries are coming. Scientists are expected to discover thousands of previously unknown cosmic structures that can reshape our understanding of the universe.

in conclusion

The discovery of the Einstein ring around NGC 6505 marks an important milestone in the Euclid mission. This discovery highlights the incredible ability of telescopes to reveal hidden cosmic phenomena even in well-studied areas of space. As Euclid continues its mission, it promises to gain deeper insight into the fundamental forces that shape our universe.

Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Optical Illusion