Astronomers Discover Unique 'Carousel Lens' Gravitational Alignment

The rare alignment of seven distant galaxies behind a galaxy cluster offers new insights into dark matter and dark energy.

The 'Carousel Lens' consists of seven galaxies aligned behind a galaxy cluster located 5 billion light-years from Earth.
This configuration includes the largest Einstein Cross ever observed, with multiple images of the same galaxy appearing in concentric patterns.
The alignment was discovered using data from the Dark Energy Survey and observations from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Carousel Lens provides a unique opportunity to study the early Universe, including the properties of dark matter and dark energy.
Researchers aim to use this lens to understand the matter distribution in the lensing cluster and the characteristics of the lensed galaxies.