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The white or blueish spots are six images of the same quasar created by the lensing effect of two galaxies, one appearing as the light patch in the centre and one as a red arc F. Dux et al.
A chance alignment between two massive galaxies could help astronomers better measure the expansion of the universe and shed light on the mysterious nature of dark energy.
While working on his general theory of relativity, Albert Einstein predicted that light from distant galaxies and stars should be bent by the gravity of very massive objects, similar to how a glass lens…
Article amended on 15 November 2024
Changes were made to clarify that the red arc in the image corresponds to the second lensing galaxy.