Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), resolving over 40 individual stars on the outskirts of a galaxy that are billions of light-years away. This achievement is the first time scientists have been able to study large numbers of individual stars in a distant galaxy.
The JWST has surpassed previous studies with the Hubble Space Telescope, which found only seven stars in a similar galaxy. Observing more individual stars will help researchers better understand dark matter and its effects on the lensing plane of galaxies.
Astronomers used a phenomenon called gravitational lensing to magnify light from distant galaxies, allowing them to see fainter objects. They also observed microlensing, a smaller effect caused by isolated stars in the space between galaxies, which enabled them to resolve individual stars.
The discovery has provided new insights into the evolution of galaxies far from our own and has revealed that red supergiant stars are cooler and redder than typically seen. JWST’s ability to detect red light gave it an edge in finding these objects.
Further observations with JWST are expected to reveal even more stars hidden in the blurry light of the Dragon Arc, a massive galaxy cluster 4 billion light-years away.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/record-breaking-trove-of-stars-seen-billions-of-light-years-away-in-cosmic-dragon