Currently, sci.esa.int is under review and not being updated. For the latest information and news from ESA science missions and scientific results, please visit esa.int. For a comprehensive overview of ESA’s Science Programme and its missions, please refer to science.esa.int. For in-depth technical information aimed at ESA's scientific communities, you may also wish to consult cosmos.esa.int.

Asset Publisher

Back Double Einstein Ring in SDSS J0946+1006

Double Einstein Ring in SDSS J0946+1006


Date: 09 January 2008
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: SDSSJ0946+1006
Copyright: NASA, ESA, and R. Gavazzi and T. Treu (University of California, Santa Barbara)

This is an image of gravitational lens system SDSSJ0946+1006 as photographed by Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The gravitational field of an elliptical galaxy warps the light of two galaxies exactly behind it. The massive foreground galaxy is almost perfectly aligned in the sky with two background galaxies at different distances. The foreground galaxy is 3 thousand million light-years away, the inner ring and outer ring are comprised of multiple images of two galaxies at a distance of 6 thousand million and approximately 11 thousand million light-years. The odds of seeing such a special alignment are estimated to be 1 in 10 000.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
17-Feb-2026 08:25 UT

ShortUrl Portlet

Shortcut URL

https://sci.esa.int/s/AGqG3YW

Latest Selection

Also Available As

Related Images

Related Videos

Caption & Press Release

Related Publications

Related Links

See Also

Documentation