They are almost 6,500 million light years

We are accustomed, or almost, to listen that the James Webb space telescope (JWST) has discovered a new galaxy in the confines of the observable universe. However, it is not always necessary to go so far to appreciate the immense power of the orbital telescope. Just stay halfway.

40 new stars. An astronomer team with representation of the University of the Basque Country and the DIPC (Donostia International Physics Center) has managed to capture in images and identify 44 new stars. This is the greatest number of stars identified in the distant universe to date. In addition to the stars, the team also discovered what could be a distant supernova.

To almost 6,500 million light years. What makes this singular finding (in addition to the bulky number of stars found) is in the distance of these stars: these are found 6,500 million light yearsspecifically in the dragon arch galaxy.

The stars find at such a distance that we see them as they were when the known universe had approximately half of their age. This galaxy is behind an immense cluster of galaxies, called Abell 370.

A new lens for the JWST. The presence of Abell 370 It was instrumental in the discovery of these stars. All due to the gravitational lens effect. The enormous mass of these galaxies distorts the space around it, which diverts the light similar to how the lenses of a telescope do. This allows James Webb to see objects furthest than in principle would allow their already wide capacities.

This phenomenon is also responsible for the “arched” aspect of the galaxy in which the newly discovered stars are located. The dragon arch is a spiral galaxy whose image comes to us as if it were a gum, all due to the influence of Abell’s cluster 370.

The color of the stars. In his analysis of these stars, the team responsible for his discovery paid special attention to these. They discovered that it is red supergigants (such as the giant Betelgeuse, visible in the constellation of Orion).

According to Explain the teamthis contrasts with previous similar findings that had predominantly detected blue supergigants. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Nature Astronomy.

A new way to unravel dark matter. Beyond the relevance of finding such distant stars, the team highlights that the finding can teach us new details about the cosmos. Specifically, help us to reveal the mystery involved in dark matter.

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Image | Abell 370 and the dragon arch galaxy, seen by Hubble. NASA, ESA, and J. LOTZ, HFF TEAM (STSCI).