2024-07-18 04:00:15
In the latest images from the James Webb Space Telescope, a jewel-like halo of light reveals a colossal black hole. This resplendent ring, an “Einstein ring,” intrigues with its four points of light.
Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA
This halo comes from a quasar, a supermassive black hole at the heart of a young galaxy, named RX J1131-1231, located about 6 billion light-years away in the constellation of the Cup. The quasar projects enormous quantities ofenergy by absorbing matter.
The observed bright circle is the result of gravitational lensing. Light from the quasar passes through spacetime curved by the gravity of an intervening galaxy, appearing to be deflected. This galaxy, visible as a blue dot at the center of the bright ring, amplifies our view of the otherwise nearly invisible RX J1131-1231.
Gravitational lenses sometimes produce multiple points. In this case, the four bright points around the ring are mirror images of a single point, duplicated by the lensing effect. Perfect Einstein rings are rare, and this observation does not show a perfect circle.
Gravitational lenses like these provide a window into distant objects and their structure. In 2014, researchers used this phenomenon to determine the rotation speed of the supermassive black hole in RX J1131-1231. In addition, these observations can be used to measure the mass of intervening galaxies and estimate how much dark matter they contain.
This composite image of RX J1131-1231, using photos from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope, highlights the multiplication of the quasar by gravitational lensing.
Credit: NASA/CXC/Univ of Michigan/RCReis et al
These light deformations thus constitute a valuable tool for uncovering the secrets of dark matter and improving our understanding of the Universe.
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