Earendel and the Sunrise Arc - detail

Contained inside the massive galaxy cluster WHL0137-08, is the most strongly magnified galaxy known from the Universe’s first billion years: the Sunrise Arc. Within that galaxy, we are able to see the furthest star ever detected. The star, nicknamed Earendel, was first discovered by Hubble. Webb’s subsequent observations have revealed it to be a massive star, more than twice as hot as our Sun, and about a million times brighter. Earendel is only detectable thanks to the chance alignment of another galaxy cluster situated between the star and us. The intervening cluster’s gravity bends Earendel’s light (an effect known as gravitational lensing), magnifying it by a factor of at least 4000 - allowing us the opportunity to view it. To learn more about the Earendel star and Sunrise Arc Galaxy, read here.