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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Distant galaxy’s ring of light proves Einstein right

Observations of deflected light shore up general theory of relativity.
Image from the Hubble Space Telescope showing the ESO 325-G004 galaxy

Observations of the galaxy E325, which lies more than 138 million parsecs from Earth, support Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team (STScI)/J. Blakeslee, Washington State Univ.

Einstein’s theory of gravity has received its most precise validation yet in a setting larger than the Solar System.According to the general theory of relativity, a massive object’s gravity should bend light passing nearby. Researchers have exploited this effect to test general theory on light deflected by the Sun. But to do so on galactic scales is difficult.

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Nature 558, 489 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-05531-0

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