Stunning Image Captures Rare 'Einstein Cross' Warping Light from Brightest Object in Universe

Astronomers have captured a stunning image of an "Einstein cross," where a foreground galaxy warps and splits the light from a background galaxy. This rare phenomenon, predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, shows four smudges of blue light haloed around the orange of the foreground galaxy. The background light likely comes from a quasar, a young galaxy with a supermassive black hole. Einstein rings, like this one, provide valuable insights into the universe, allowing astronomers to study distant galaxies, gauge the masses of objects, and even detect dark entities such as black holes and exoplanets.