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Lensed Star Earendel
The Sunrise Arc Galaxy With Lensed Star Earendel
The star nicknamed Earendel (indicated with arrow) is positioned along a ripple in spacetime that gives it extreme magnification, allowing it to emerge into view from its host galaxy, which appears as a red smear across the sky. The whole scene is viewed through the distorted lens created by a massive galaxy cluster in the intervening space, which allows the galaxy's features to be seen, but also warps their appearance—an effect astronomers call gravitational lensing. The red dots on either side of Earendel are one star cluster that is mirrored on either side of the ripple, a result of the gravitational lensing distortion. The entire galaxy, called the Sunrise Arc, appears three times, and knots along its length are more mirrored star clusters. Earendel's unique position right along the line of most extreme magnification allows it to be detected, even though it is not a cluster.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.01:37:23.23
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-08:27:52.20
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Cetus
- DistanceDistanceThe 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 star is approximately 12.9 billion light-years away.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData 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. - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.ACS/WFC, WFC3/IR
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.7 June 2016, 17July 2016, 4 November 2019, and 27 November 2019
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F814W, F105W, F110W, F160W
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.WHL-J24.3324-8.477, Earendel
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Distant star
- Release DateMarch 30, 2022
- Science ReleaseRecord Broken: Hubble Spots Farthest Star Ever Seen
- CreditsNASA, ESA, Brian Welch (JHU), Dan Coe (STScI); Image Processing: NASA, ESA, Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the ACS/WFC and the WFC3/IR instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow and wide 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: F814W Green: F105W Red: F110W + F160W
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
