Astronomers have identified 44 individual stars in a galaxy nearly 6.5 billion light-years away, marking a breakthrough in the study of distant celestial objects.
The discovery, made using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is the largest number of stars ever resolved at such a distance. These stars are part of the Dragon Arc, a galaxy distorted by gravitational lensing — a phenomenon where a massive object bends light from a more distant source, magnifying and stretching its image.
Cosmic Dragon Arc Reveals Red Supergiants Through JWST's Infrared Vision
Gravitational lensing occurs when the light from a distant object is magnified and distorted by the gravitational field of a massive galaxy cluster in between. This natural "magnification" allows astronomers to view objects that would otherwise be too far away and faint to see.
According to ScienceAlert, the light from the Dragon Arc galaxy is stretched across the sky by the Abell 370 galaxy cluster, creating a long, stretched image that looks like a cosmic dragon.
The 44 stars discovered by the team, led by astrophysicist Fengwu Sun from the University of Arizona, were previously impossible to detect. They were observed through the JWST's powerful infrared capabilities, which are crucial for spotting stars that are cooler and dimmer than those seen with older telescopes like Hubble.
Many of the stars in the Dragon Arc are red supergiants, stars nearing the end of their life cycles and expanding into large, cooler forms.
The discovery gives scientists valuable insight into the types of stars that exist in distant galaxies, especially those that are not typically visible to other telescopes.
JWST Revolutionizes Space Exploration, Identifies 44 Stars in Faraway Galaxy
Before this achievement, detecting individual stars in galaxies billions of light-years away was considered nearly impossible.
Previous studies, such as those with the Hubble Space Telescope, had only been able to identify a handful of stars, PhysOrg said.
However, JWST's sensitivity allowed scientists to see 44 stars — an unprecedented number in such a distant galaxy. This discovery provides a new way to study the evolution of galaxies in the early universe and offers new opportunities to explore dark matter.
The team's research also included studying how the cluster's dark matter affects the lensing process.
This discovery helps scientists understand the mysterious nature of dark matter, which cannot be directly observed but influences the movement of galaxies and light in the universe. By studying individual stars, scientists can better understand how dark matter shapes the universe.
Published in Nature Astronomy, this discovery is one of the most significant in recent years, proving that the JWST can provide a clearer, more detailed view of the distant universe.
