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As predicted long before it was put into service, the James Webb Space Telescope continues to amaze us with its tremendous ability to penetrate the most distant and primitive worlds.
In this case, we were able to enjoy an image showing different depths of the universe: from a star close in the Milky Way passing through the galaxies of the Pandora cluster (located about 4 billion light-years from Earth). Thus, we have come to observe galaxies so far away that they were not known until now.
This new panoramic image is composed of four images by James Webb and is estimated by astronomers to consist of about 50,000 infrared sources.
However, before we analyze this new deep sky image in detail, let’s take a look at what a cluster of galaxies like the one on Pandora is made of.
Thousands of galaxies are held together by their gravitational pull.
The gravitational force is responsible for these galaxies to cluster, the number of which can vary from a few dozen (small groups) to thousands (as is the case with clusters).
Large clusters of galaxies and superclusters often show strong X-rays due to intergalactic gas heating to millions of degrees. It is worth mentioning that our Milky Way belongs to the Local Group of galaxies, which is located on the outskirts of the Virgo supercluster.
As an example, the image below corresponds to the galaxy cluster IDCS 1426, one of the most massive clusters found in the early universe. Located at a distance of 10,000 million light years from Earth, its mass is equivalent to 500 trillion suns.
When these clusters interfere with light from a more distant object, it bends and creates gravitational lensing, which is one of the keys to successfully observing the earliest galaxies.
Magnifying glass that enlarges the most distant objects
This effect was already predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity. The equivalent phenomenon in optics would be the deformation of the image of an object when we look through a lens.
The following animation explains this effect in detail. A very massive object (for example, a black hole) moves in the figure from left to right against the background formed by the galactic grouping.
The light coming from these galaxies undergoes gravitational lensing as it passes close to the black hole, and the image we observe is perceived to be distorted and amplified.
Without this, even the James Webb telescope could not detect the most distant galaxies. to help in the form of a gravitational lens.
New images of the Pandora Cluster (and more)
Here are some of the details of this new image of James Webb (among many that have yet to be discovered and are currently being studied):
In the foreground we observe a star close into our galaxy with James Webb’s typical eight-pointed star.
The reason for this peculiar shape is related to the diffraction created by both the telescope’s hexagonal primary mirror and the supports of the secondary mirror.
The bright white sources (surrounded by a hazy glow) correspond to the galaxies in the Pandora cluster (Abell 2744).
Although it may seem surprising, the galaxies in this cluster make up less than 5% of its mass: hot gas (which it emits in the form of X-rays) makes up 20% of the total, leaving the remaining 75% to be distributed by dark matter.
On the other hand, by expanding the detail of this impressive mosaic, we can observe galaxies that have not been detected in previous studies (carried out, for example, by the Hubble Space Telescope).
In particular, the bottom image shows the reddish spiral galaxy discovered by James Webb. This is a galaxy that still retains the structure of its spiral arms (containing large amounts of stardust), but is teeming with stars. old with a pronounced reddish tint.
New supermassive black hole?
This detail is hard to see, but the presence of this very distant little red dot (almost without any distortion due to gravitational lensing) has not gone unnoticed by astronomers analyzing these new images.
What astronomical object can remain unperturbed despite the enormous magnifying effect of the gravitational lensing of a cluster of galaxies?
While this is still very preliminary research, a possible explanation could be an outburst of gases heated to enormous temperatures that orbit the supermassive black hole.
What we can have complete confidence in is the ability of the James Webb Space Telescope to continue capturing amazing images of the deep sky: we will continue to discover and marvel at the most unexplored and distant universe.
Oscar del Barco Novillo, assistant professor. Department of Applied Physics, University of Zaragoza
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.
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I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.