The research compared the ‘gravitational lensing’, or bending of light rays by gravity, by galaxies of different types: ellipticals like the upper left object, and spirals like the lower right. The lensing causes minute distortions of the images of more distant galaxies like those appearing as small, faint smudges on the image. Image details and credit: NGC 5982 (upper left) and NGC 5985 (lower right) by Bart Delsaert (www.delsaert.com), used with permission

The research compared the ‘gravitational lensing’, or bending of light rays by gravity, by galaxies of different types: ellipticals like the upper left object, and spirals like the lower right. The lensing causes minute distortions of the images of more distant galaxies like those appearing as small, faint smudges on the image.
Image details and credit: NGC 5982 (upper left) and NGC 5985 (lower right) by Bart Delsaert (www.delsaert.com), used with permission