Sunrise Arc (NIRCam Image)

Stsci_2023-132a_1024

stsci_2023-132a August 9th, 2023

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, D.Coe (STScI) and A. Pagan (STScI)

This image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope of a massive galaxy cluster called WHL0137-08 contains the most strongly magnified galaxy known in the universe’s first billion years: the Sunrise Arc, and within that galaxy, the most distant star ever detected.

The star, nicknamed Earendel, was first discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope. Follow-up observations using Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) reveals the star to be a massive B-type star more than twice as hot as our Sun, and about a million times more luminous.

Earendel is positioned along a wrinkle in spacetime that gives it extreme magnification, allowing it to emerge into view from its host galaxy, which appears as a red smear across the sky. The star is detectable only due to the combined power of human technology and nature via an effect called gravitational lensing.

In this image, the Sunrise Arc appears just below the diffraction spike at the 5 o’clock position. The fuzzier, white galaxies at the center of the image are part of the galaxy cluster bound together by gravity. The various redder, curved galaxies are background galaxies picked up by Webb’s sensitive mirror.

Provider: Space Telescope Science Institute

Image Source: https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-132

Curator: STScI, Baltimore, MD, USA

Image Use Policy: http://stsci.edu/copyright/

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
WHL-J24.3324-8.477
Subject - General
Cosmology > Morphology > Deep Field
Cosmology > Phenomenon > Lensing
Galaxy > Grouping > Cluster
Stsci_2023-132a_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 1h 37m 23.3s
DEC = -8° 26’ 0.9”
Orientation
North is 17.2° CCW
Field of View
2.2 x 2.2 arcminutes
Constellation
Cetus

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Webb (NIRCam) Infrared 900.0 nm
Blue Webb (NIRCam) Infrared 1.2 µm
Blue Webb (NIRCam) Infrared 1.5 µm
Cyan Webb (NIRCam) Infrared 2.0 µm
Green Webb (NIRCam) Infrared 2.8 µm
Yellow Webb (NIRCam) Infrared 3.6 µm
Orange Webb (NIRCam) Infrared 4.1 µm
Red Webb (NIRCam) Infrared 4.4 µm
Spectrum_base
Blue
Blue
Blue
Cyan
Green
Yellow
Orange
Red
Stsci_2023-132a_1280
×
ID
2023-132a
Subject Category
E.6.1.1   E.6.2.1   E.5.5.3  
Subject Name
WHL-J24.3324-8.477
Credits
NASA, ESA, CSA, D.Coe (STScI) and A. Pagan (STScI)
Release Date
2023-08-09T10:00:00
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-132
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Webb, Webb, Webb, Webb, Webb, Webb, Webb, Webb
Instrument
NIRCam, NIRCam, NIRCam, NIRCam, NIRCam, NIRCam, NIRCam, NIRCam
Color Assignment
Blue, Blue, Blue, Cyan, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red
Band
Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Infrared
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
900, 1150, 1500, 2000, 2770, 3560, 4100, 4440
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
2000.0
Reference Value
24.34691597647, -8.43359670387
Reference Dimension
6507.00, 6612.00
Reference Pixel
3262.49720152811, 7712.55407472314
Scale
-0.00000555583, 0.00000555583
Rotation
17.16745352095
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
World Coordinate System resolved using PinpointWCS 0.9.2 revision 218+ by the Chandra X-ray Center FITS X FITS Y EPO X EPO Y 1986.87 525.63 3419.79 3637.42 2279.46 766.43 1898.37 5479.44 2433.42 206.16 5431.91 6444.46 1428.76 96.45 6114.13 113.41 1460.07 1000.02 420.31 320.42 Center Pixel Coordinates: 3253.50 24.35426827538 3306.00 -8.45696785084
Creator (Curator)
STScI
URL
http://stsci.edu
Name
Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach
Email
outreach@stsci.edu
Telephone
410-338-4444
Address
3700 San Martin Drive
City
Baltimore
State/Province
MD
Postal Code
21218
Country
USA
Rights
http://stsci.edu/copyright/
Publisher
STScI
Publisher ID
stsci
Resource ID
STSCI-J-p23132a-f-6507x6612.tif
Metadata Date
2023-08-10T11:28:36-04:00
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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There is no distance meta data in this image.

 

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