Galaxy Cluster That Warps Space-Time , Used by Scientists to Find , 2 Distant Galaxies.
Business Insider reports that astronomers have used a
galaxy cluster that warps the fabric of space-time to help
uncover two of the most distant galaxies ever discovered. .
A team at Penn State used NASA's new James Webb
Space Telescope to find two galaxies hidden by
Pandora's Cluster, otherwise known as Abell 2744. .
According to Space.com, the cluster
of galaxies is located about
3.5 billion light-years from Earth.
The mass of those galaxies creates a gravitational
lens, which warps space-time and magnifies
light coming from far beyond the phenomenon. .
This naturally occurring magnifying effect helped
astronomers glimpse two never-before-observed
galaxies, a staggering 33 billion light-years away.
The light from these galaxies
is ancient, about three times
older than the Earth, Joel Leja, a member of the Penn State research team, via Business Insider.
According to the research team, while three
other distant galaxies have been detected in
the past, these new examples are far larger.
Business Insider reports that the newly-discovered
galaxies also have a unique shape, which the team
described as like a "peanut" and a "fluffy ball.".
The reason for the galaxies' odd shapes
remains unknown, as they are believed to
have formed from similar materials.
These early galaxies are like beacons,
with light bursting through
the very thin hydrogen gas
that made up the early universe, Joel Leja, a member of the Penn State research team, via Business Insider.
It is only by their light that we can begin
to understand the exotic physics that
governed the galaxy near the cosmic dawn, Joel Leja, a member of the Penn State research team, via Business Insider
