New science from a stunning 2020 Hubble image illuminates the story behind a shining loop of light. The circle, also called an Einstein ring, came about due to a galactic-scale illusion. The galaxy this so-called ‘molten ring’ curls around is called GAL-CLUS-022058s and is located in the southern constellation of Fornax.
The big ring is actually a light smear created by a lensing effect that occurs when a foreground object with strong gravity magnifies the light of a more distant galaxy behind it. New research suggests that we are seeing the galaxy in the ring as it was about 9 billion years ago, when the universe was only about one-third its present age.