Earendel: Is This Distant Star Really a Star?
- Initial observations identified Earendel, nicknamed the "morning star," as the most distant star ever discovered, perhaps forming 900 million years after the Big Bang.
- New analysis utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) indicates Earendel is more likely a star cluster - a gravitationally bound group of stars born from the same...
- Earendel's characteristics align with expectations for globular clusters in the early universe.
Reassessment of the Most Distant Star
Initial observations identified Earendel, nicknamed the “morning star,” as the most distant star ever discovered, perhaps forming 900 million years after the Big Bang. However, recent research suggests this may be a misclassification.
New analysis utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) indicates Earendel is more likely a star cluster – a gravitationally bound group of stars born from the same gas and dust cloud – rather than a single star or binary system. The findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal, reveal spectral features consistent with globular clusters observed in the local universe.
According to researchers, this isn’t an unexpected outcome. Earendel’s characteristics align with expectations for globular clusters in the early universe.
Earendel, located 12.9 billion light-years away in the Sunrise Arc galaxy, was identified through gravitational lensing. A massive galaxy cluster magnifies the light from Earendel, making it observable despite its extreme distance. This lensing affect increases its apparent size by at least 4,000 times. The object’s location within a “sweet spot” of this magnification explains its visibility, but also prompted consideration of alternative explanations beyond a single star.
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Data from JWST’s Near Infrared Imager (NIRCam) was crucial in re-evaluating Earendel’s nature, leading to the conclusion that it more closely resembles a compact star cluster.