Galaxy Cluster That Warps Space-Time , Used by Scientists to Find , 2 Distant Galaxies.
Business Insider reports that astronomers have used a galaxy cluster that warps the fabric of space-time to help uncover two of the most distant galaxies ever discovered.
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A team at Penn State used NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope to find two galaxies hidden by Pandora's Cluster, otherwise known as Abell 2744.
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According to Space.com, the cluster of galaxies is located about 3.5 billion light-years from Earth.
The mass of those galaxies creates a gravitational lens, which warps space-time and magnifies light coming from far beyond the phenomenon.
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This naturally occurring magnifying effect helped astronomers glimpse two never-before-observed galaxies, a staggering 33 billion light-years away.
The light from these galaxies is ancient, about three times older than the Earth, Joel Leja, a member of the Penn State research team, via Business Insider.
According to the research team, while three other distant galaxies have been detected in the past, these new examples are far larger.
Business Insider reports that the newly-discovered galaxies also have a unique shape, which the team described as like a "peanut" and a "fluffy ball.".
The reason for the galaxies' odd shapes remains unknown, as they are believed to have formed from similar materials.
These early galaxies are like beacons, with light bursting through the very thin hydrogen gas that made up the early universe, Joel Leja, a member of the Penn State research team, via Business Insider.
It is only by their light that we can begin to understand the exotic physics that governed the galaxy near the cosmic dawn, Joel Leja, a member of the Penn State research team, via Business Insider
