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2w ago

Einstein Cross With Visible Fifth Image Points to Massive Dark Matter Halo

The peer-reviewed study lays out testable predictions for follow-up observations to probe the lensing mass.

A rare cosmic configuration: An Einstein Cross with five points of light, instead of the usual four, has been discovered by scientists. (Credit: Nicolás Lira Turpaud (ALMA Observatory) & adapted from Cox et al. 2025)
Image

Overview

  • The discovery, published September 16 in The Astrophysical Journal by P. Cox and colleagues, confirms a validated five-image configuration.
  • Independent data from NOEMA and ALMA showed the central image persisted after instrument checks, ruling out a processing glitch.
  • The background source is the dusty galaxy HerS-3 about 11.6 billion light-years away, lensed by a group containing four visible foreground galaxies.
  • Lens modeling by Charles Keeton and Lana Eid found the observed pattern cannot be produced by the visible galaxies alone and requires a central dark matter halo weighing several trillion solar masses.
  • The team describes the system as a natural laboratory and sets falsifiable predictions, including signatures such as outflowing gas and substructure, to be tested in planned follow-up observations.