2025A&A...701L..11R

We report the detection of a gravitationally lensed galaxy by the nearby spiral galaxy CGCG 012-070 (z = 0.048) using integral field unit (IFU) observations with the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instrument on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The lensed galaxy is identified through the flux distributions of emission lines in the rest-frame optical, consistent with a source located at a redshift of z ∼ 2.89. The system is detected in [O III] λλ4959, 5007, Hβ, and Hα emission lines, exhibiting line ratios typical of a star-forming galaxy. The emission-line flux distributions reveal three distinct components, which are modeled using an elliptical power-law mass profile for the lens galaxy. This model provides a good characterization of the source and reveals a disturbed star-forming morphology consistent with those of galaxies at cosmic noon. This serendipitous discovery of a rare low-redshift strong lens highlights the critical role of IFU observations in expanding the lens census and advancing our understanding of galaxy mass profiles and evolution.