Scientists have discovered an Einstein ring, a rare astronomical phenomenon, on test images from the Euclid space telescope.
When the scientists analyzed the images more closely, they recognized the ring-shaped structure typical of Einstein rings.
Euclid space telescope makes unexpected discovery – Gallery
Scientists have discovered an Einstein ring, a rare astronomical phenomenon, on test images from the Euclid space telescope.
When the scientists analyzed the images more closely, they recognized the ring-shaped structure typical of Einstein rings.
Researchers have made an unexpected discovery with the Euclid space telescope. They found what is known as an Einstein ring, an extremely rare phenomenon, in a nearby galaxy. Swiss researchers were also involved in the discovery.
The Einstein ring was hidden in the galaxy NGC 6505, as the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Monday. This galaxy is “only” 590 million light years away from Earth – a small distance on a cosmic scale.
“The galaxy has been known to astronomers for a very long time. And yet this ring has never been observed before,” said ESA scientist Valeria Pettorino.
The Einstein ring was discovered by chance in a test image that was not actually intended for scientific purposes. According to the ESA, such a ring is an extremely rare astronomical phenomenon. Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne were involved in the data analysis.
The researchers reported on the discovery in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics”.