Gravitational Lenses Imaged by Webb During Its First Run

Gravitational lenses imaged by Webb during its first run

Periodically, the European Space Agency (ESA) releases images that provide breathtaking views of the cosmos, courtesy of its premier missions. This includes a relative newcomer to party with the ESA/Webb Picture of the Month, which showcases the high-resolution and ultra-sensitive capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This month's feature: eight stunning images of gravitationally-lensed galaxies observed by Webb during its Cycle…

Check Out These Gravitational Lenses Imaged by Webb During its First Run

This ESA/Webb Picture of the Month shows eight stunning examples of gravitational lensing. Gravitational lensing, which was first predicted by Einstein, occurs because massive objects like galaxies and clusters of galaxies dramatically warp the fabric of spacetime. When a massive foreground object lines up just so with a background galaxy, the light from the background galaxy bends as it navigates the warped spacetime on its way to our telescope…