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Abell 2744 GLASS (NIRCam Image)

Graphic titled “Abell 2744 GLASS JWST/NIRCam” with two large images showing thousands of galaxies of different colors, shapes, and sizes, and two smaller pull-outs showing details in the large images.

Two of the farthest galaxies seen to date are captured in these Webb Space Telescope pictures of the outer regions of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 2744. The galaxies are not inside the cluster, but many billions of light-years farther behind it. The galaxy labeled (1) existed only 450 million years after the big bang. The galaxy labeled (2) existed 350 million years after the big bang. Both are seen really close in time to the big bang which occurred 13.8 billion years ago. These galaxies are tiny compared to our Milky Way, being just a few percent of its size, even the unexpectedly elongated galaxy labeled (1).

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    00:14:22.63
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -30:23:44.50
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Sculptor
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    The distance to the cluster is 4 billion light-years.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    This image was created from JWST data from proposal: 1324 (T. Treu)

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    NIRCam
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    28-29 June 2022
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F090W, F115W, F150W, F200W, F277W, F356W, F444W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Abell 2744, Pandora's Cluster
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Galaxy cluster/gravitational lens and high redshift galaxy candidates
  • Release Date
    November 17, 2022
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Draws Back Curtain on Universe’s Early Galaxies
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, CSA, Tommaso Treu (UCLA); Image Processing: Zoltan Levay (STScI)

Downloads

  • Annotated, Full Res (For Display), 9714 × 3999
    png (47.5 MB)
  • Annotated, Full Res (For Print), 9714 × 3999
    tif (55.03 MB)
  • Annotated, 2000 × 823
    png (2.49 MB)
  • Unannotated, Full Res (For Display), 9714 × 3999
    png (55.65 MB)
  • Unannotated, Full Res (For Print), 9714 × 3999
    tif (55 MB)
  • Unannotated, 2000 × 823
    png (2.4 MB)
Graphic titled “Abell 2744 GLASS JWST/NIRCam” with two large images showing thousands of galaxies of different colors, shapes, and sizes, and two smaller pull-outs showing details in the large images.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam instrument. Several filters were used to sample different infrared wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are:    Blue: F090W, F115W Cyan: F150W Green: F220W Yellow: F277W Orange: F356W Red: F444W

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Graphic titled “James Webb Space Telescope: Pandora’s Cluster, Abell 2744,” with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference.

Abell 2744 GLASS (NIRCam Compass Image)

Images of Pandora’s Cluster, Abell 2744, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and...

A field of hundreds of galaxies of different shapes, sizes and colors. A handful of bright stars display 8 diffraction spikes.

Webb Draws Back the Curtains on An Undiscovered Universe (Interview with Tommaso Treu)

This video features an interview with Tommaso Treu, principal investigator of the GLASS-JWST Early Release Science Program (Grism Lens-Amplified Survey from Space). This program recently obtained an image of the galaxy cluster Abell 2744, also known as Pandora's Cluster. In it,...

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Details

Last Updated
Nov 18, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Science Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, Tommaso Treu (UCLA)

Image Processing Credit

Zoltan Levay (STScI)

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