UCSB Scientists Discover Double Einstein Ring

UCSB physicists Tommaso Treu and Raphael Gavazzi have documented the first-ever sighting of an astronomical phenomenon knows as a “double Einstein ring.” Light that appears curved due to gravitational influences (a single Einstein ring) occurs when one galaxy appears to be behind another when viewed from Earth. In this case, two galaxies are distorted into luminous arcs. The discovery was announced last week at the 211th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Austin, Texas.