Science

NASA Shares Image of a Galactic Smiley Face

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 14/10/2026, 12:23:26 UTC.

Briefings

NASA shared an image of a galaxy cluster named SDSS J1038+4849, which appears to form a smiley face due to gravitational lensing predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity. The photo, originally captured by Hubble in 2015, shows two massive galaxies acting as 'eyes' while the face and smile are optical effects. The image was posted by NASA/ESA and appeared first on Nautilus.

Key points

• The galaxy cluster SDSS J1038+4849, located 4.5 billion light-years from Earth in the Big Dipper constellation, displays a face-like pattern caused by gravitational lensing.
• The 'eyes' of the smiley face are two massive galaxies, while the smile and face are optical distortions predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Context

This image illustrates how Einstein's general theory of relativity predicts that massive objects like galaxies can bend light, creating patterns that resemble faces when viewed from Earth. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured the original 2015 image, which was recently shared to demonstrate this cosmic phenomenon.

Limitations

The evidence is limited to a single Hubble Space Telescope image from 2015. The specific visual interpretation of the 'smiley face' as a face versus a smile is speculative based on the provided text. No additional data regarding the cluster's composition, the exact moment of the lensing event, or the number of such occurrences is supplied.

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