A European Space Agency telescope has discovered its first "extremely rare" Einstein ring in a galaxy "not too far away" nearly 600 million light years from Earth.

The "dark universe detective" space telescope Euclid has discovered its first Einstein ring in the process, learning about dark matter at the heart of a distant galaxy.

The structure is nearly 600 million light-years from Earth and is an early display of the nascent dark matter telescope's power.

The European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope was going through preliminary tests in September 2023 when it captured images of an Einstein Ring in a nearby galaxy.

The European Space Agency (ESA), announced on Monday, that the Euclid telescope has discovered an Einstein ring 'hiding in plain sight' in a nearby galaxy. This galaxy named NGC 6505 is approximately 590 million light-years away from Earth, and it has been confirmed to be housing the perfect Einstein ring.

Alfredo (he/him) has a PhD in Astrophysics on galaxy evolution and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces. The European Space Agency (ESA)’s Euclid Mission has been working over the last 18 months to understand what dark matter and dark energy really are.

Europe’s Euclid space telescope has detected a rare halo of bright light around a nearby galaxy. The halo, known as an Einstein ring, encircles a galaxy 590 million light-years away.

The Euclid space telescope has captured a rare phenomenon called an Einstein ring that reveals the extreme warping of space by a galaxy’s gravity. The dazzling image shows a nearby galaxy, NGC 6505, surrounded by a perfect circle of light.