Ancient stars in a young galaxy: rare ‘einstein cross’ reveals cosmic secrets

An Einstein cross with the strange elliptical galaxy J1453g at its heart (Image credit: Quirino D’Amato.)

doi.org/10.1038/s41550-026-02819-4
Credibility: 989
#einstein cross

Astronomers have discovered a rare cosmic configuration called the “Einstein Cross,” a gravitational lensing phenomenon that allows them to study a young galaxy that, surprisingly, harbors stars much older than expected

This observation could change our understanding of how galaxies form and evolve in the early universe.

Gravitational lensing occurs when the gravity of a massive object in the path of light from a more distant object bends and amplifies that light, creating multiple images of the same celestial body.

In the case of the “Einstein Cross,” the elliptical galaxy J1453g, which acts as the lens, aligned almost perfectly with a quasar (an extremely bright object) in the background.

This resulted in four distinct images of the quasar around the galaxy, forming the shape of a cross.

Thanks to this natural magnification, scientists were able to analyze with great precision the stars at the center of this distant elliptical galaxy.

J1453g is considered young in cosmic terms, but observations have revealed a population of mature stars, similar to those at the center of the Milky Way, which surprises researchers.

Young galaxies are typically expected to be dominated by newly formed, hot stars.

As one of the scientists involved explained: “The discovery of this exceptional object allowed us to precisely study the nature of the stars at the center of an elliptical galaxy in a remote era of the universe, when it was still young.” This mixture of a young galaxy with old stars challenges current models of galactic evolution, suggesting that star formation and aging processes may occur in more complex and rapid ways than we imagined.

This observation, made with the aid of powerful telescopes, highlights the power of gravitational lensing as a tool for exploring the distant universe.

It opens new doors to understanding how galaxies accumulated their stars over time and how dark matter and other factors influenced their development.

In short, the rare “Einstein Cross” not only shows us stunning images of the cosmos, but also helps us rewrite parts of the history of galaxy formation.

Published in 04/15/2026 01h03

Portuguese version

Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption. Information about DOI, author and institution can be found in the body of the article.

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