Scientists 'weigh' tiny galaxy halfway across universe

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Keck Telescope image shows the bright elliptical lens galaxy and its Einstein ring. The sub-panels show a zoomed-in view before and after subtraction of the bright foreground galaxy to leave the tiny background object ready for analysis. Credit: Mars ...
Keck Telescope image shows the bright elliptical lens galaxy and its Einstein ring. The sub-panels show a zoomed-in view, before and after subtraction of the bright foreground galaxy to leave the tiny background object ready for analysis. Credit: Marshall et al.

Color composite image of the gravitational lens system made from Hubble (blue and green) and Keck (red) data. The blue ring is the tiny background galaxy stretched by the gravitational pull of the foreground lens galaxy at the center of the image. Cr ...
Color composite image of the gravitational lens system, made from Hubble (blue and green) and Keck (red) data. The blue ring is the tiny background galaxy, stretched by the gravitational pull of the foreground lens galaxy at the center of the image. Credit: Marshall & Treu

A tiny galaxy, nearly halfway across the universe, the smallest in size and mass known to exist at that distance, has been identified by an international team of scientists led by two from the University of California, Santa Barbara.


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