NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled new details into the farthest star ever detected, Earendel, situated in the very distant universe. The Hubble Space Telescope initially observed the star within the first billion years following the Big Bang.
Using the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument, the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed Earendel to be a massive B-type star, which is over twice as hot as the sun and significantly more luminous.
NASA: Gravitational Lensing Uncovers Earendel
Earendel's remarkable discovery was made possible through gravitational lensing, a phenomenon resulting from a gravitational field's bending of light.
This effect was achieved through the massive galaxy cluster WHL0137-08, which acts like a magnifying glass, enabling the telescopes to detect the star despite its extreme distance. The star is situated within the Sunrise Arc galaxy.
While gravitational lensing causes multiple appearances of various features within the galaxy, Earendel stands as a solitary point of light in Webb's infrared imaging. This distinction led astronomers to determine that Earendel is magnified by at least 4,000 times, indicating its minuscule size.
It is now recognized as the most distant star ever detected, existing a mere billion years post-Big Bang. The prior record holder, seen by Hubble, was observed around 4 billion years after the Big Bang.
Although Earendel's companions were not initially expected to be discernible due to their proximity, Webb's data suggests hints of a cooler, redder companion star based on the star's colors. This information was only accessible through Webb's advanced capabilities.
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The Sunrise Arc
Webb's NIRCam has also uncovered significant details about the Sunrise Arc, the most magnified galaxy ever identified within the universe's initial billion years.
This region showcases youthful star-forming areas alongside older, established star clusters as compact as 10 light-years in diameter. The ongoing data analysis from Webb's NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument will offer precise details about the galaxy's composition and distance.
According to NASA, the breakthrough observations made by Webb are extending the scope of stellar physics and providing fresh insights into the early universe, opening up new avenues for scientific inquiry.
The research team remains hopeful that these findings could eventually lead to the identification of the universe's very first generation of stars, composed solely of hydrogen and helium. As scientists delve deeper into these distant reaches, the mysteries of the cosmos continue to unfold.
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