* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    AMC brings first new Dolby Experience to Gwinnett since 2017 – Wyoming News Now

    AMC Launches First New Dolby Experience in Gwinnett Since 2017

    Hetzel Design: blending architecture and entertainment – Blooloop

    Hetzel Design: Where Architecture and Entertainment Unite in Perfect Harmony

    Country music legend rushed to hospital year after heart surgery. Here’s what we know – PennLive.com

    Country Music Legend Rushed to Hospital One Year After Heart Surgery – What’s Happening Now?

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Placer County town of Loomis considers entertainment zone for downtown – CBS News

    Loomis Unveils Thrilling New Entertainment Zone to Revitalize Downtown

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 Technology Stocks to Buy Now – Yahoo Finance

    3 Must-Buy Tech Stocks You Can’t Afford to Miss Right Now

    ‘New frontier’: Austin leaders start discussions on air taxi technology – KXAN Austin

    Austin Leaders Ignite Exciting Conversations on the Future of Air Taxi Technology

    How a Gemma model helped discover a new potential cancer therapy pathway – blog.google

    How a Gemma Model Revealed a Breakthrough Pathway for Cancer Treatment

    Italian Technology in Manufacturing: Supporting North American Industries and Keeping Production Local – Thomasnet

    How Italian Technology is Revolutionizing North American Manufacturing and Boosting Local Production

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    AMC brings first new Dolby Experience to Gwinnett since 2017 – Wyoming News Now

    AMC Launches First New Dolby Experience in Gwinnett Since 2017

    Hetzel Design: blending architecture and entertainment – Blooloop

    Hetzel Design: Where Architecture and Entertainment Unite in Perfect Harmony

    Country music legend rushed to hospital year after heart surgery. Here’s what we know – PennLive.com

    Country Music Legend Rushed to Hospital One Year After Heart Surgery – What’s Happening Now?

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Placer County town of Loomis considers entertainment zone for downtown – CBS News

    Loomis Unveils Thrilling New Entertainment Zone to Revitalize Downtown

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 Technology Stocks to Buy Now – Yahoo Finance

    3 Must-Buy Tech Stocks You Can’t Afford to Miss Right Now

    ‘New frontier’: Austin leaders start discussions on air taxi technology – KXAN Austin

    Austin Leaders Ignite Exciting Conversations on the Future of Air Taxi Technology

    How a Gemma model helped discover a new potential cancer therapy pathway – blog.google

    How a Gemma Model Revealed a Breakthrough Pathway for Cancer Treatment

    Italian Technology in Manufacturing: Supporting North American Industries and Keeping Production Local – Thomasnet

    How Italian Technology is Revolutionizing North American Manufacturing and Boosting Local Production

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

James Webb Space Telescope unveils the gravitationally warped galaxies of ‘El Gordo’

August 3, 2023
in Science
James Webb Space Telescope unveils the gravitationally warped galaxies of ‘El Gordo’
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

News

Science & Astronomy

Various warped galaxies are seen as elongated lines, loops, arcs and smudges against the background of space. The JWST's iconic diffraction spikes are seen toward the center-right of the image.

Part of the new JWST El Gordo image.
(Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA)

Sitting about 9.7 billion light-years from Earth lies a (very) hefty galaxy cluster with a mass equivalent to something like 3 million billion suns. It’s a cosmic clump lovingly nicknamed El Gordo, which translates from Spanish to “The Fat One.” Over the years, the Hubble Space Telescope has blessed us with some mesmerizing views of El Gordo — but now, there’s a new space observatory in town.

On Wednesday (Aug. 2), scientists announced the James Webb Space Telescope has offered us a pretty mind-bending new perspective on El Gordo. With its infrared eyes, the trailblazing machine has revealed gravitationally distorted realms, a red giant star and tons of other space goodies Hubble could only hint at. 

One subject, for instance, is known as “El Anzuelo,” or “The Fishhook.” Located 10.6 billion light-years away, this galaxy can be clearly seen toward the top right of the image as a bright red arc. To put into perspective how trippy this new photo is, you’re seeing El Anzuelo as it was 10.6 billion years ago. This is because it took that long for light from this point in the galaxy’s life to reach the JWST.

“We were able to carefully dissect the shroud of dust that envelops the galaxy center where stars are actively forming,” Patrick Kamieneski of Arizona State University and lead author on one of several papers about these JWST observations, said in a statement. “With Webb, we can peer through this thick curtain of dust with ease, allowing us to see firsthand the assembly of galaxies from the inside out.”

Related: James Webb Space Telescope’s ‘exquisite’ 1st year has some astronomers in tears

But beyond the fact that the JWST is able to parse through dust veils, thanks to its infrared capabilities, this telescope’s new lens on El Gordo is crucial because of how distinctly it can capture a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. 

In short, gravitational lensing is a concept associated with Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. This theory basically imagines space and time as woven together like a tangible fabric — a 4D sheet of silk that can warp and ripple depending on what masses are present within. Black holes warp this fabric a lot, stars affect it quite a bit, Earth warps it somewhat and even you and me warp it an incredibly tiny, indiscernible amount. 

What’s important for this JWST image, however, is that general relativity theory also predicts that those spacetime fabric warps impact the way light moves across the universe. At risk of simplification, the warps can force light to bend and twist while traveling through space — but this is a good thing for astronomers. If scientists can focus their observatories (like the JWST) on super-duper warped areas (like a hefty galaxy cluster), they can catch some of that warped light. And depending on where the light’s coming from, those warps can create a sort of magnifying effect on the source. That effect is called gravitational lensing. 

Returning to our image, the main reason we can see El Anzuelo at all, despite it living so immensely far away, is due to none other than gravitational lensing! And thanks to the spectacular concept, scientists realized the distant galaxy is disk-shaped, about 26,000 light-years in diameter (one-fourth the size of the Milky Way), in addition to dissecting other interesting information about its history. 

Furthermore, the reddish tint you see in El Anzuelo has to do with another cosmic light phenomenon. Basically, as stuff gets farther and farther away from our vantage point on Earth — in conjunction with the universe’s expansion — the lightwaves they emit stretch out like unbreakable rubber bands. As that happens, those waves appear redder and redder due to a phenomenon known as redshift. 

So as this galaxy is looking quite red, it’s quite far. 

A full-size version of the new JWST El Gordo image. Various distorted galaxies are seen against the backdrop of space.

A full-size version of the new JWST El Gordo image. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA)

The JWST infrared image shown with diagrams indicating

A breakdown of the new image. “The Thin One” is seen in diagram A and “The Fishhook” is in diagram B. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA)

Underneath Einstein’s magnifying glass

Because of how much gravitational lensing is apparent in this image – you can tell based on the fact that a bunch of glittering galaxies look like smudges rather than spirals and ellipticals we expect — there’s a wealth of cosmic information to glean from it. 

In fact, the JWST’s very first image was also filled with a slew of gravitationally lensed galaxies, rightfully earning heaps of praise from space enthusiasts across the globe. 

“This lensing effect provides a unique window into the distant universe,” Brenda Frye of the University of Arizona, co-lead of the PEARLS-Clusters branch of the Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science (PEARLS) team and lead author of another paper, said in the statement.

“Gravitational lensing was predicted by Albert Einstein more than 100 years ago. In the El Gordo cluster, we see the power of gravitational lensing in action,” Rogier Windhorst of Arizona State University and principal investigator of the PEARLS program, said in the statement. “The PEARLS images of El Gordo are out-of-this-world beautiful. And, they have shown us how Webb can unlock Einstein’s treasure chest.”

Straying away from major galaxies, the JWST portrait of El Gordo also amazingly caught sight of a singular red giant star. Scientists nicknamed it Quyllur, which translates from the indigenous Quechua language of the Peruvian highlands to simply “star.” 

The amazing part? This marks the first individual red giant star observed by the JWST that’s more than 1 billion light-years from Earth. Quyllur is actually located somewhere around 11 billion light-years away from us, near a galaxy known as La Flaca, or “The Thin One.” La Flaca can be seen as a pencil-like line at the left-center of the image. 

“It’s almost impossible to see lensed red giant stars unless you go into the infrared. This is the first one we’ve found with Webb, but we expect there will be many more to come,” Jose Diego of the Instituto de Física de Cantabria in Spain, lead author of another paper on El Gordo, said in the statement.

Frye and her team also point out five lensed galaxies that seem to be part of a baby cluster about 12.1 billion light-years from Earth – possibly holding a total of 17 galactic members. There are also some ultra-diffuse galaxies that appear present some 7.2 billion light-years away, which are similar to normal galaxies except their stars are much more spread out. 

“We examined whether the properties of these galaxies are any different than the ultra-diffuse galaxies we see in the local universe, and we do actually see some differences. In particular, they are bluer, younger, more extended, and more evenly distributed throughout the cluster.” Timothy Carleton of Arizona State University, lead author on another paper about these observations, said in the statement. “This suggests that living in the cluster environment for the past 6 billion years has had a significant effect on these galaxies.” 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Monisha Ravisetti is Space.com’s Astronomy Editor. She covers black holes, star explosions, gravitational waves, exoplanet discoveries and other enigmas hidden across the fabric of space and time. Previously, she was a science writer at CNET, and before that, reported for The Academic Times. Prior to becoming a writer, she was an immunology researcher at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. She graduated from New York University in 2018 with a B.A. in philosophy, physics and chemistry. She spends too much time playing online chess. Her favorite planet is Earth.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Space.com – https://www.space.com/james-webb-telescope-einstein-general-relativity-galaxy-warps

Tags: JamesscienceSpace
Previous Post

‘Loki’ Season 2 trailer reveals the god of mischief skipping through timelines

Next Post

The Perseid meteor shower peaks in August. Here’s how to see it

Jacobson earns program’s first medal at U23 World Championships – nmuwildcats.com

Jacobson Makes History with Program’s First Medal at U23 World Championships

October 22, 2025
AHLA: Hotels generate $7B for Denver economy – Hotel Management

Hotels Drive Denver’s Economy to Soar by $7 Billion

October 22, 2025
AMC brings first new Dolby Experience to Gwinnett since 2017 – Wyoming News Now

AMC Launches First New Dolby Experience in Gwinnett Since 2017

October 22, 2025
UCare, other carriers dropping Medicare Advantage Plans, leaving 200K Minnesota seniors without health insurance – CBS News

UCare, other carriers dropping Medicare Advantage Plans, leaving 200K Minnesota seniors without health insurance – CBS News

October 22, 2025
With Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire, Some Pro-Palestinian Protesters Look Back at Their Movement, Ruefully – The New York Times

With Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire, Some Pro-Palestinian Protesters Look Back at Their Movement, Ruefully – The New York Times

October 21, 2025
Fusobacterium nucleatum : ecology, pathogenesis and clinical implications – Nature

Unveiling Fusobacterium nucleatum: Exploring Its Ecology, Disease Connections, and Health Impact

October 21, 2025
Escherichia coli with a 57-codon genetic code – Science | AAAS

Escherichia coli Engineered with a Revolutionary 57-Codon Genetic Code

October 21, 2025
LOCALIZE IT: Over 420 anti-science bills target public health protections in statehouses across US – newspressnow.com

More Than 420 Anti-Science Bills Jeopardize Public Health Across the Nation

October 21, 2025
Halloween not your thing? Here’s when Christmas at the Newport mansions will start. – The Providence Journal

Not a Halloween Fan? Find Out When Christmas Magic Begins at the Newport Mansions!

October 21, 2025
Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

October 21, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (879)
  • Economy (901)
  • Entertainment (21,772)
  • General (17,729)
  • Health (9,942)
  • Lifestyle (913)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (901)
  • Politics (911)
  • Science (16,111)
  • Sports (21,400)
  • Technology (15,880)
  • World (884)

Recent News

Jacobson earns program’s first medal at U23 World Championships – nmuwildcats.com

Jacobson Makes History with Program’s First Medal at U23 World Championships

October 22, 2025
AHLA: Hotels generate $7B for Denver economy – Hotel Management

Hotels Drive Denver’s Economy to Soar by $7 Billion

October 22, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version