Euclid image of a bright Einstein ring around galaxy NGC 6505

Ensci_euclid20251002a_1024

ensci_euclid20251002a February 10th, 2025

Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA

The ring of light surrounding the centre of the galaxy NGC 6505, captured by ESA’s Euclid telescope, is a stunning example of an Einstein ring. NGC 6505 is acting as a gravitational lens, bending light from a galaxy far behind it. The almost perfect alignment of NGC 6505 and the background galaxy has bent and magnified the light from the background galaxy into a spectacular ring. This rare phenomenon was first theorised to exist by Einstein in his general theory of relativity.

This wide field shows the extended stellar halo of NGC 6505 and showcases the Einstein ring, surrounded by colourful foreground stars and background galaxies.

Image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre, G. Anselmi, T. Li

Provider: Euclid

Image Source: https://euclid.caltech.edu/image/euclid20251002a-euclid-image-of-a-bright-einstein-ring-around-galaxy-ngc-6505

Curator: ESA/Euclid

Image Use Policy: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

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Image Details Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
NGC 6505
Subject - Local Universe
Galaxy > Type > Elliptical
Cosmology > Phenomenon > Lensing

Distance Details Distance

Universescale3
186,000,000 light years
Ensci_euclid20251002a_128
 

Position Details Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 17h 51m 7.2s
DEC = 65° 31’ 52.9”
Orientation
North is up
Field of View
4.1 x 4.1 arcminutes
Constellation
Draco

Color Mapping Details Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Euclid (Vis) Optical 700.0 nm
Green Euclid (NISP) Infrared 1.1 µm
Red Euclid (NISP) Infrared 1.7 µm
Spectrum_base
Blue
Green
Red
Ensci_euclid20251002a_1280
×
ID
euclid20251002a
Subject Category
C.5.1.4.   C.6.2.1.  
Subject Name
NGC 6505
Credits
ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA
Release Date
2025-02-10
Lightyears
186,000,000
Redshift
0.042414
Reference Url
https://euclid.caltech.edu/image/euclid20251002a-euclid-image-of-a-bright-einstein-ring-around-galaxy-ngc-6505
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Euclid, Euclid, Euclid
Instrument
Vis, NISP, NISP
Color Assignment
Blue, Green, Red
Band
Optical, Infrared, Infrared
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
700, 1100, 1700
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
Reference Value
267.77983, 65.5313687
Reference Dimension
4848, 4848
Reference Pixel
2424, 2424
Scale
-0.000014069, 0.000014069
Rotation
0
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
ESA/Euclid
URL
/image/ensci/euclid20251002a
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
City
State/Province
Postal Code
Country
Rights
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Publisher
Euclid NASA Science Center at IPAC (ENSCI)
Publisher ID
ensci
Resource ID
Resource URL
http://www.euclid.caltech.edu/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBbG9HIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--2b9f1a296e924c6a2f00e0a7c521191a07713204/euclid20251002.tif
Related Resources
Metadata Date
2025-02-21T01:39:01Z
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull
186,000,000 light years

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