New images from the Webb Space Telescope show massive gravitational lensing by galaxy clusters. The spiral galaxy on the right appears to be extremely distorted — the galaxies are not actually distorted, but the gravity of the galaxy cluster magnifies distant galaxies The image of this spiral galaxy presents a very strange shape.
In this image, numerous streaks of light and bright arcs spread across the field of view, revealing the presence of gravitational lensing. Galaxy clusters in the foreground magnify distant galaxies, distorting their shapes and creating bright spots in the image. This effect, known to astronomers as gravitational lensing, occurs near massive objects, causing enough space-time curvature that light rays visibly circle galaxy clusters and bend, as if refracted by a giant lens.
Another effect of gravitational lensing is that it can magnify distant objects, allowing astronomers to study galaxies that are too faint or too distant. As a result, gravitational lensing could be used to reveal one of the most distant galaxies ever discovered. An example is the long, bright, twisted arc near the core. Astronomers have dubbed this distant galaxy the “Cosmic Seahorse.” The brightness of this galaxy is significantly magnified by gravitational lensing, allowing astronomers to study The stage of star formation there.
▲ Under the action of gravitational lensing, the distant spiral galaxy is magnified and distorted, with a strange shape. (Source:ESA)
Webb’s main near-infrared camera, NIRCam, captured this image of the lenticular galaxy cluster, cataloged SDSS J1226+2149, about 6.3 billion light-years away in the constellation Coma Coma. By combining Webb’s sensitivity to infrared light with the magnifying effect of a gravitational lens, astronomers can use this gravitational lens to probe the early stages of star formation in distant galaxies. This image shows just one of Webb’s observations probing star formation in a distant galaxy. In addition to revealing star formation rates and galactic environments, these observations demonstrate Webb’s observational capabilities and provide the astronomical community with rich details. Astronomers expect Webb’s extraordinary light-gathering and resolving power to provide new insights into star formation in distant, gravitationally lensed galaxies.
(This article is reproduced with the authorization of Taipei Planetarium; the first picture is a gravitational lens galaxy cluster called “Cosmic Seahorse”, located in Coma Coma; source: ESAWEBB)
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