Giant cosmic question answered. Northeastern astrophysicist explains the science behind the image captured by the Webb telescope

By Cody Mello-Klein September 10, 2024

For centuries, astronomers have looked to the cosmos for answers to the universe’s biggest questions. But an image recently released by NASA indicates the universe might have questions of its own.

Captured with NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope, the image shows a cosmic question mark made up of galaxies and cosmic dust. The image has astronomers buzzing, but what exactly is happening here?

No, this is not some kind of sign from the heavens. Instead, this piece of cosmic punctuation is actually the result of a rare alignment between two distant galaxies and a concept called gravitational lensing, says Jacqueline McCleary, an assistant professor of physics at Northeastern University.

 

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Photo by Space Telescope Science Institute

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