Astronomers have questioned the identity of Earendel, the most distant star detected by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 2022. Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope suggest it may be a tightly packed star cluster rather than a single star. Located 12.9 billion light-years away, Earendel was initially thought to have formed just 900 million years after the Big Bang.
The discovery relied on gravitational lensing, which magnified and bent the distant light. However, new research compared Earendel’s light signature with that of known globular clusters, revealing similarities. This supports the cluster hypothesis. Despite this, some experts remain cautious, citing the limitations of current data in distinguishing between a single star and a cluster.
Further observations, such as microlensing events, could help resolve Earendel’s true nature. The research team focused on the cluster hypothesis but didn’t rule out other possibilities, including a smaller multistar system. A deeper understanding of this distant object is essential for refining our knowledge of the universe’s early stages.
Source: https://www.newser.com/story/373675/earendel-may-be-a-star-cluster-not-a-lone-star.html