A distant galaxy has become visible thanks to the phenomenon of gravitational lensing. The highest-resolution image of its kind, the galaxy was snapped using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
Seen clearly as a 'ring', SDP.81 is perfectly magnified by a galaxy far closer. Thanks to the perfect alignment of the two, astronomers are able to get a tantalisingly high resolution glance at a galaxy that is believed to be over 12 billion light years away.
Gravitational lensing, otherwise known as the 'Einstein Ring' is a phenomenon which occurs when a massive galaxy is able to bend the light of another galaxy around it, magnifying it into view.
The image that was taken is a composite, taking the high resolution dust cloud and combining it with more precise readings which show the water and carbon monoxide signatures.