About Einstein Ring:
- It is a rare ring of light around a form of dark matter, galaxy or cluster of galaxies.
- It is essentially an example of gravitational lensing.
- Einstein rings are not visible to the naked eye, and can be observed only through space telescopes such as Euclid.
- In the case of the recently discovered Einstein ring, NGC 6505 was the gravitational lens.
- The nearer galaxy distorted and amplified the light coming from a distant unnamed galaxy, located 4.42 billion light-years away.
- The first Einstein ring was discovered in 1987, and since then, several more have been discovered.
- Significance of Einstein ring:
- These rings help scientists investigate dark matter, which has never been detected but is believed to make up 85% of the total matter in the universe.
- They enable scientists to learn about distant galaxies, which otherwise might not be visible.
- They can also provide information about the expansion of the universe as the space between the Earth and other galaxies — both in the foreground and the background
What is Gravitational lensing?
- It is a phenomenon which occurs when a massive celestial body — such as a galaxy or cluster of galaxies — creates a gravitational field which distorts and amplifies the light from distant galaxies that are behind it but in the same line of sight.
- The body causing the light to curve is called a gravitational lens.
