INBOX ASTRONOMY
Webb Spotlights Gravitational Arcs in 'El Gordo' Galaxy Cluster
Release date: Wednesday, August 2, 2023 10:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
New image reveals galaxy groups, smudges, and dusty distant objects.
The Fishhook. The Thin One. These are just two of the striking targets revealed in new detail by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. In July 2022 Webb observed El Gordo, a galaxy cluster that existed 6.2 billion years after the big bang. It was selected as the most massive galaxy cluster known at that time in cosmic history.
Galaxy clusters are the heavyweights of astronomy. They have the power to bend and magnify light from more distant objects, a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing that was predicted by Albert Einstein more than 100 years ago. Webb’s infrared image of El Gordo displays a variety of unusual, distorted background galaxies. It also has fueled several new scientific discoveries.
Find additional articles, images, and videos at
WebbTelescope.org
Please do not reply to this message.
You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the Inbox Astronomy mailing list.
Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute's
Office of Public Outreach