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Astronomers continue to expand humanity’s cosmic horizons. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has confirmed and built upon the Hubble Space Telescope’s groundbreaking discovery of Earendel, the most distant star ever observed. This extraordinary star shines just one billion years after the Big Bang, offering a rare glimpse into the early universe. Studying Earendel provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of the first stars, galaxies, and cosmic structures. The JWST’s advanced instruments allow astronomers to observe such distant celestial objects with unprecedented clarity, opening a new chapter in understanding the universe’s infancy.
Earendel: Discovering the most distant ‘morning star’
Earendel – a name meaning “morning star” or “rising light” – is not an ordinary star. According to Webb’s observations, it is a massive B-type star, more than twice as hot as our Sun and around one million times more luminous.Normally, stars this far away cannot be detected individually. They blend into their host galaxies, becoming invisible even to powerful telescopes. But Earendel is different – its visibility is thanks to a rare natural phenomenon called gravitational lensing.
How was Earendel found
Both the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes were able to detect Earendel thanks to its fortunate alignment with a galaxy cluster known as WHL0137-08. Positioned between Earth and the distant star, this massive cluster bends and warps space-time, producing a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. Acting like a cosmic magnifying glass, it amplifies Earendel’s light thousands of times, making it visible as a tiny single point rather than blending into its host galaxy. Astronomers estimate that this magnification boosts Earendel’s brightness by at least 4,000 times, allowing us to observe a star that would otherwise remain invisible.
Quyllur, Hubble, and Earendel: Mapping the earliest stars in the cosmos
Until recently, the most distant stars astronomers could observe appeared billions of years after the Big Bang. Earendel, however, has changed that record, shining just one billion years after the universe began, making it the farthest star ever detected. By comparison, Quyllur, a red giant recently discovered by Webb, appeared three billion years after the Big Bang, while Hubble’s earlier record-holder was seen four billion years post-Big Bang. These discoveries show how Webb is pushing the boundaries of our cosmic vision, bringing us closer than ever to understanding the universe’s earliest stars and the formation of its first galaxies.
James Webb Space Telescope detects possible red companion star near the Earendel
Stars as massive as Earendel often form with stellar companions. While Webb cannot directly resolve nearby stars because they appear too close together, researchers noticed subtle hints of a cooler, redder companion star.This red light is stretched by the expansion of the universe into wavelengths beyond Hubble’s capabilities, but detectable by Webb’s advanced NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera).
Gravitational lensing exposes detailed star structures in Earendel’s galaxy
Earendel is part of the Sunrise Arc galaxy, the most strongly magnified galaxy observed within the universe’s first billion years. Webb’s powerful imaging has revealed a rich variety of stellar features, including young star-forming regions less than five million years old and older star clusters at least ten million years in age. Remarkably, the telescope can resolve structures as small as 10 light-years across, often appearing duplicated on either side of the gravitational lens’s magnifying line. The discovery of Earendel represents more than just a new record. It demonstrates the combined power of human technology and natural cosmic phenomena. Where once galaxies were the smallest objects detectable in the distant universe, Webb now enables us to see individual stars across billions of light-years.Also read | Artemis II 2026: NASA prepares first crewed mission to circle around the moon in 50 years, scheduled for February
