Galaxies Take a Spin: NASA Telescopes Capture Cosmic Dance!
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope have joined forces in an unprecedented cosmic endeavor to investigate a remote galaxy cluster, revealing a captivating and dynamic view of the universe. This pioneering project, which focuses on the MACS0416 galaxy cluster, combines visible and infrared light to create an exceptionally comprehensive image of the cosmos, marking a significant milestone in our understanding of the universe.
MACS0416’s galactic dance
Located an astonishing 4.3 billion light-years from Earth, MACS0416 contains two colliding galaxy clusters destined to merge into an even larger cosmic entity. The composite image not only shows numerous galaxies outside the cluster, but also reveals dynamic sources that are likely affected by gravitational lensing, a phenomenon that alters and enhances light from distant sky sources.
This cluster is the opening subject of a revolutionary Hubble initiative, the Frontier Fields program, launched in 2014, which aims to provide unprecedented, ultra-deep views of the universe.
James Webb Telescope Cosmic Revelation
The Hubble Telescope, a pioneer in detecting faint and young galaxies, will see its capabilities expanded thanks to the infrared perspective of the James Webb Space Telescope, and will delve deeper into the cosmic dawn. The research team, which included three observation epochs from both telescopes and a fourth from the CANUCS research team, identified 14 transients – objects whose brightness changes over time.
Twelve of these phenomena were observed in highly magnified galaxies due to gravitational lensing, likely representing momentarily enhanced single stars or multiple star systems. The remaining two transients, located in moderately magnified background galaxies, are suspected supernovae.
One standout discovery among these transients is “Mothra,” located in a galaxy that was born about 3 billion years after the Big Bang. Magnified by a factor of more than 4,000, Mothra earned its moniker due to its exceptional brightness and magnification. Interestingly, Hubble observations nine years earlier also captured Mothra, hinting at an extra object in the foreground, boosting magnification. Although the team determined Motra’s mass to be between 10,000 and 1 million times that of our Sun, the identity of this enigmatic “millilens” remains elusive.
In addition to the visual spectacle, this collaboration between the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope will significantly improve our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. The revelation of numerous transient phenomena suggests that continued monitoring with the James Webb Space Telescope may reveal many similar phenomena in this and similar clusters, adding yet more layers to our understanding of the cosmic tapestry.
