The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has always had a special affinity for glittering celestial bodies.
A new image released by the European Space Agency (ESA) on July 5 showcases the latest discovery of this powerful telescope—a magnificent quasar resembling a jeweled masterpiece.
Quasars are luminous active cores of galaxies, essentially supermassive black holes located at the centers of galaxies, releasing enormous energy as they consume gas and dust, resulting in intense flashes of light.
This particular quasar, named RX J1131-1231, is situated in the constellation of Crater, approximately 6 billion light-years away from us. From Earth’s perspective, this object appears circular, with three bright “jewels” adorning its top, giving it the appearance of a cosmic ring fit for a deity.
However, the allure of this cosmic ring may leave you disappointed, as what we see is actually due to the gravitational lensing effect, where a massive object’s gravitational field bends light from a more distant object, creating the illusion.
In this case, light emitted from a distant quasar is distorted by a galaxy (the small blue dot in the center of the ring) located between the quasar and the telescope, converging together like a giant magnifying glass.
Gravitational lensing is incredibly valuable for astronomers, allowing us to observe faint light emissions from distant celestial bodies that would typically remain unseen. Yet, if the alignment of celestial bodies is not precise, it can lead to illusions like the one we see here. The three bright spots are actually images of the same quasar repeated twice, and the “ring” itself is a distorted image of a more distant galaxy.
According to ESA, gravitational lensing enables us to observe regions near black holes in these distant quasars. For instance, studying X-ray emissions from quasars can reveal the rotation speed of the black hole and how it was formed.
Some black holes are created by gradually accreting small mass from random directions over a long period. However, this black hole’s rotation speed exceeds half the speed of light, suggesting it may have formed through the grand mergers of galaxies. These mergers create a disk that continuously feeds the black hole, leading to its rapid spin.
This image was captured using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) of the Webb Telescope and is part of research on dark matter. These observations may offer valuable insights into the secrets of dark matter, as astronomers explore this elusive substance through quasars.