Astronomers have made an extraordinary discovery—a "Carousel Lens," a rare alignment of galaxies that could provide unprecedented insights into the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.

Lenses that are less spherical and more elongated, in contrast, can produce a similar phenomenon called an Einstein Cross, in which four distinct images are produced around the lensing galaxy.

Right: The Einstein Cross, comprising four bright points corresponding to the quadruply-lensed images of the bright nucleus of a background galaxy. The fifth point near the middle of the cross ...