@space_telescopes

class="content__text" The James Webb Space Telescope opens up a new view of the universe in its latest image of Pandora’s Cluster. Several already-massive galaxy clusters are coming together to form a megacluster in the region, which astronomers use to boost Webb’s powerful imaging capability. The galaxy clusters are so massive that they warp the fabric of space itself, which magnifies light from even more distant objects beyond them in the early universe. In this image Webb demonstrates the vastness of space: A foreground star in our Milky Way galaxy appears just right of center, displaying Webb’s distinctive diffraction spikes. The galaxies of Pandora’s Cluster glow white and hazy. Surrounding them are the distorted shapes of far more distant galaxies, their light stretched into arcs by the gravity of the cluster. Follow-up observations with Webb will determine the precise distances and composition of key features in the image. #NASAWebb #JWST #galaxies #GalaxyCluster #DeepField #InfraredAstronomy Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, I. Labbe (Swinburne University of Technology) and R. Bezanson (University of Pittsburgh). Image processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI). ALT TEXT: A crowded galaxy field on a black background, with one large star dominating the image just right of center. Three areas are concentrated with larger white hazy blobs on the left, lower right, and upper right above the single star. Scattered between these areas are many smaller galaxies; some also have a hazy white glow, while many other are red or orange. Even without zooming in, different galaxy shapes are detectable, like spirals, ovals, and arcs.

February 19, 2023