{"id":35776,"date":"2024-09-08T15:50:46","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T19:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/nasa-telescope-finds-distorted-galaxy-that-looks-like-a-question-mark\/08\/09\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-09-08T15:50:46","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T19:50:46","slug":"nasa-telescope-finds-distorted-galaxy-that-looks-like-a-question-mark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/nasa-telescope-finds-distorted-galaxy-that-looks-like-a-question-mark\/08\/09\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Telescope Finds &#8216;Distorted&#8217; Galaxy That Looks Like a Question Mark"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Astronomers in Canada used the James Webb Space Telescope \u2014 and a third time-and-space-bending galaxy cluster \u2014 to capture an image of two galaxies millions of lightyears away<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 640px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/BirNDLSGbFMl5YeSm5Oq6g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/c880f5a027b51dbe171acf0006f78d65\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;webbtelescope&lt;\/p&gt; An image of the galaxy\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/SzKbOkz6WApox.cL0htceQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/c880f5a027b51dbe171acf0006f78d65\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption-wrapper caption-aligned-with-image\"><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">\n<p>webbtelescope<\/p>\n<p> An image of the galaxy<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>NASA has captured a new image of a question mark-shaped galaxy cluster light-ears away that astronomers say may be able to teach us about our own galaxy&#8217;s past.<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/webb\/nasas-webb-reveals-distorted-galaxy-forming-cosmic-question-mark\/#h-downloads\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:a press release;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">a press release<\/a> shared by the organization on Wednesday, Sept. 4, researchers announced that the James Webb Space Telescope was used to take clearer images of two distant galaxies that form a question mark shape when paired with a third galaxy cluster known as MACS-J0417.5-1154.<\/p>\n<p>This dusty red galaxy has previously been photographed by NASA\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/webbtelescope.org\/contents\/media\/images\/2024\/128\/01J6CXQZWPPN3NHPJQYY4WZG1R\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Hubble Space Telescope;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Hubble Space Telescope<\/a>, but researchers utilized both the Webb and Hubble telescopes to take new images of it. According to NASA, astronomers used MACS-J0417.5-1154 as a sort of magnifying glass, because it&#8217;s so large that it warps the fabric of space-time.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This allows astronomers to see enhanced detail in much more distant galaxies behind the cluster. However, the same gravitational effects that magnify the galaxies also cause distortion, resulting in galaxies that appear smeared across the sky in arcs and even appear multiple times,&#8221; NASA wrote in its press release. &#8220;These optical illusions in space are called gravitational lensing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/nasa-says-strange-noise-coming-from-boeing-starliner-is-common-8705262\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:'Strange' Noise That Astronaut Heard Coming from Boeing Starliner Is Just a 'Common' Occurrence, NASA Says;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">&#8216;Strange&#8217; Noise That Astronaut Heard Coming from Boeing Starliner Is Just a &#8216;Common&#8217; Occurrence, NASA Says<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 480px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-loader portrait\" style=\"padding-bottom:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;webbtelescope&lt;\/p&gt; A cosmic question mark appears amid a powerful gravitational lens in the James Webb Space Telescope\u2019s wide-field view of the galaxy cluster MACS-J0417.5-1154\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Xyoai_VYK_IbYUJGZHh1aQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/92e19b5a81683f62fac9e13302b330a4\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;webbtelescope&lt;\/p&gt; A cosmic question mark appears amid a powerful gravitational lens in the James Webb Space Telescope\u2019s wide-field view of the galaxy cluster MACS-J0417.5-1154\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Xyoai_VYK_IbYUJGZHh1aQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/92e19b5a81683f62fac9e13302b330a4\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption-wrapper caption-aligned-with-image\"><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">\n<p>webbtelescope<\/p>\n<p> A cosmic question mark appears amid a powerful gravitational lens in the James Webb Space Telescope\u2019s wide-field view of the galaxy cluster MACS-J0417.5-1154<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Because of these distortions, researchers said the galaxy captured by the telescope was interacting with a spiral galaxy (also previously detected by the Hubble), and the &#8220;unusual&#8221; magnification and distortion of the two galaxies made it look like they were appearing multiple times along the top of the question mark.<\/p>\n<p>According to NASA, this unusual distortion is called a &#8220;hyperbolic umbilic gravitational lens,&#8221; and it involves a &#8220;particular, rare alignment between the distant galaxies, the lens and the observer.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:PEOPLE's free daily newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We know of only three or four occurrences of similar\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/webbtelescope.org\/glossary.html#h3-CK-2572b869-1584-45c0-a18b-0c5ffcf32e57\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:gravitational lens;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">gravitational lens<\/a>\u00a0configurations in the observable universe, which makes this find exciting, as it demonstrates the power of Webb and suggests maybe now we will find more of these,&#8221; said astronomer Guillaume Desprez, a member of the team presenting the Webb results from Saint Mary\u2019s University in Canada.<\/p>\n<p>NASA added that the dot of the question mark is an unrelated galaxy that simply happened to be &#8220;in the right place and space-time, from our perspective.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The organization noted that these images and data were obtained as a part of a case study to determine how well the Webb NIRISS (Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph) instrument could gather information about star formations millions of lightyears away, and the question mark was a &#8220;cool&#8221; addition.<\/p>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/starliner-capsule-begins-return-to-earth-without-crew-astronauts-still-in-space-8707767\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Starliner Capsule Begins Return to Earth Without Crew, Who Will Remain in Space;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Starliner Capsule Begins Return to Earth Without Crew, Who Will Remain in Space<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 247px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:39%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/y17DKgTESb0ZEQ0eD7UbAA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyODA7aD00OTQ-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/9d871e00de5be71488581ecfd2d7c889\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;webbtelescope&lt;\/p&gt; The Hubble image of the galaxy compared to the Webb's image\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Ruc7bmiFxpF1wbwwi5QrtA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTM3MQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/9d871e00de5be71488581ecfd2d7c889\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;webbtelescope&lt;\/p&gt; The Hubble image of the galaxy compared to the Webb's image\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Ruc7bmiFxpF1wbwwi5QrtA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTM3MQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/9d871e00de5be71488581ecfd2d7c889\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption-wrapper caption-aligned-with-image\"><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">\n<p>webbtelescope<\/p>\n<p> The Hubble image of the galaxy compared to the Webb&#8217;s image<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;This is just cool looking. Amazing images like this are why I got into astronomy when I was young,&#8221; said lead astronomer Marcin Sawicki, also of Saint Mary\u2019s University.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Knowing when, where and how star formation occurs within galaxies is crucial to understanding how galaxies have evolved over the history of the universe,&#8221; fellow St. Mary&#8217;s astronomer Vicente Estrada-Carpenter added.<\/p>\n<p>According to Estrada-Carpenter, the two galaxies spotted via MACS-J0417.5-1154 are at the early stages of interacting with each other, likely the result of them colliding.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These galaxies, seen billions of years ago when star formation was at its peak, are similar to the mass that the Milky Way galaxy would have been at that time. Webb is allowing us to study what the teenage years of our own galaxy would have been like,&#8221; Sawicki added.<\/p>\n<p>For more People news, make sure to <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-apple-news-opt-in\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:sign up for our newsletter!;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">sign up for our newsletter!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Read the original article on <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/nasa-telescope-finds-distorted-galaxy-looks-like-question-mark-8708157\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">People<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/nasa-telescope-finds-distorted-galaxy-185201312.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Astronomers in Canada used the James Webb Space Telescope &mdash; and a third time-and-space-bending galaxy cluster &mdash; to capture an image of<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/nasa-telescope-finds-distorted-galaxy-that-looks-like-a-question-mark\/08\/09\/2024\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35776"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}