1 00:00:08,060 --> 00:00:10,500 New test of Einstein’s general relativity 2 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:18,340 Astronomers have made the most precise test ever of general relativity outside the Milky Way. 3 00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:25,340 They first used ESO’s VLT to measure the gravitational effect of a galaxy by watching how quickly stars zoomed around its centre. 4 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:32,980 The Hubble Space Telescope was then used to measure another effect of this galaxy’s mass... 5 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:40,220 ...by observing an Einstein ring caused by light from a background galaxy being bent and distorted. 6 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:47,380 The two measurements were compared and showed that general relativity correctly describes how gravity works on the scale of galaxies... 7 00:00:48,460 --> 00:00:53,760 ...proving Einstein right and some alternative theories of gravity wrong! 8 00:00:57,060 --> 00:01:00,940 Transcribed by ESO; Translated by —