NASA’s powerful Webb Telescope has made a groundbreaking discovery by spotting over 40 ancient stars in a distant galaxy, researchers say. The study, published in Nature, used gravitational lensing to identify the stars, which are about 6.5 billion light-years away from Earth.
Gravitational lensing is a phenomenon where light bends around a large celestial body, making objects appear closer than they do. This allowed scientists to see dozens of stars at once, including red supergiants similar to Betelgeuse in our own galaxy.
The discovery demonstrates that studying individual stars in distant galaxies is possible for the first time. Previous studies with the Hubble Space Telescope found only seven stars, but now researchers have the capability to resolve many more. The ancient galaxy was formed when the universe was half its current age, and further observations may allow scientists to study these types of stars and learn more about the universe’s formation.
The discovery also sheds light on dark matter in the lensing plane of galaxies and stars, which cannot be studied with just a handful of individual stars. With this new capability, researchers can gain valuable insights into the universe and its mysteries.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/webb-telescope-discovery-abell-galaxy-dragon-arc-stars