Webb Reveals Pristine Star Clusters in an Early Universe Galaxy

The history of how stars and galaxies came to be and evolved into the present day remains among the most challenging astrophysical questions to solve yet, but new research brings us closer to understanding it.

A recent international study led by Dr. Angela Adamo at Stockholm University has unveiled fresh insights into young galaxies from the Epoch of Reionization. Utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers studied the Cosmic Gems arc galaxy (SPT0615-JD), confirming that its light originated 460 million years after the Big Bang. What makes this galaxy unique is that it is magnified through an effect called gravitational lensing, which has not been observed in other galaxies formed during that age. The magnification of the Cosmic Gems arc has allowed the team to study the smaller structures inside an infant galaxy for the first time.