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April 1, 2025
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A dramatic Einstein ring seen by Webb
by Brian Koberlein, Universe Today
A dramatic Einstein ring seen by Webb A spiral galaxy lensed around a
closer elliptical galaxy. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, G. Mahler
One of the first verified predictions of general relativity is the
gravitational deflection of starlight. The effect was first observed
in 1919 during a total solar eclipse. Since stars appear as points of
light, the effect is seen as an apparent shift in the position of
stars near the eclipse. But the effect happens more generally.
If a distant galaxy is obscured by a closer one, some of the distant
light is gravitationally lensed around the closer galaxy, giving us a
warped and distorted view of the faraway stars. This effect can also
magnify the distant galaxy, making its light appear brighter, and we
have used this effect to observe some of the most distant stars in
the universe.
But perhaps the most beautiful effect of gravitational lensing is
what's known as an Einstein Ring. This is where the distant galaxy is
so perfectly centered behind the closer galaxy that its light is
distorted into a circle of light. Einstein was aware of the effect
but said in 1936 that "there is no hope of observing this phenomenon
directly." But as brilliant as Einstein was, he couldn't imagine the
power of modern telescopes.
We have now found dozens of Einstein rings, and one of the more
beautiful examples was recently found by JWST, as seen in the image
above. The close galaxy in the foreground is an elliptical galaxy
that's part of a large cluster known as SMACS J0028.2-7537. The more
colorful galaxy warped around it is a spiral galaxy similar to the
Milky Way. It is billions of years more distant, but perfectly
aligned to create the almost perfect ring.
Of course, this image is only possible because of our vantage point.
Astronomers in other galaxies wouldn't catch such a wondrous image.
Yet another astronomical example of how beauty is not only in the eye
of the beholder, but also where that beholder is.
Provided by Universe Today
Citation: A dramatic Einstein ring seen by Webb (2025, April 1)
retrieved 2 April 2025 from https://phys.org/news/
2025-04-einstein-webb.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing
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Get Instant Summarized Text (Gist)
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a striking example of an
Einstein Ring, a phenomenon predicted by general relativity where a
distant galaxy's light is gravitationally lensed into a circle by a
closer galaxy. This particular ring involves an elliptical galaxy in
the SMACS J0028.2-7537 cluster and a more distant spiral galaxy. The
alignment creates a nearly perfect ring, showcasing the power of
modern telescopes to observe such phenomena.
This summary was automatically generated using LLM. Full disclaimer
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