Jordi Miralda-Escudé

Light from the distant Dragon Galaxy has been traveling toward us for more than seven billion years. On its way, it passes by a huge galaxy cluster whose gravity bends the path of light like a lens. As a result, the galaxy appears brighter and larger than it really is, just as a magnifying glass enlarges fine print.

In 2016, astronomers saw something incredible: a distant star, named Icarus, flared up for several weeks, crossing the abyss of space. Gravitational lensing, an effect predicted by Einstein, had kicked in: a massive object bends spacetime and focuses light like a giant magnifying glass.