Earendel and the Sunrise Arc (inside Galaxy Cluster WHL0137-08)

Peering into the massive galaxy cluster WHL0137-08 reveals the most strongly magnified galaxy known from the Universe’s first billion years: the Sunrise Arc. Within this distant galaxy lies the most remote star ever detected. The star, nicknamed Earendel, was first discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope. Subsequent observations by the James Webb Space Telescope revealed that Earendel is a massive star—more than twice as hot as the Sun and approximately a million times brighter. Earendel's detection was made possible by a rare cosmic alignment. A separate galaxy cluster, located between Earth and Earendel, acts as a gravitational lens. Its immense gravity bends and magnifies the star’s light by a factor of at least 4,000, making it visible to telescopes and allowing astronomers to capture its image. For an alternative, a detailed view focusing on the Sunrise Arc Galaxy and Earendel star, is available.