In observational astronomy, an Einstein ring is the deformation of the light from a source, such as a galaxy, into a ring through gravitational lensing of the source’s light by an object with an extremely large mass, like a black hole. This occurs when the source, lens, and observer are all aligned. The first complete Einstein ring, designated B1938+666, was discovered by collaboration between astronomers at the University of Manchester and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 1998. The simulation above depicts a Schwarzschild black hole in front of the Milky Way. The first Einstein ring corresponds to the most distorted region of the picture and is clearly shown by the galactic disc. Click here for the first image in this week’s art of trolling gallery. Continue reading for a viral video of an illusionist performing drone magic.
