Sunday, June 30, 2024

Question: What’s the most distant star yet discovered?

Answer: The ancient star Earendel is nearly 13 billion light years from Earth, and was glimpsed by the James Webb Space Telescope in 2022 only because “gravitational lensing” caused by a massive galaxy between us and the star greatly magnified Earendel’s light. Fantasy fans please note: The star was named from a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. You can see the Webb Telescope photo at the link above.