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Webb uncovers dense cosmic knot in the early Universe


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Webb's view around the extremely red quasar SDSS J165202.64+172852.3

Astronomers looking into the early Universe have made a surprising discovery using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Webb’s spectroscopic capabilities, combined with its infrared sensitivity, have uncovered a cluster of massive galaxies in the process of formation around an extremely red quasar. The result will expand our understanding of how galaxies in the early Universe coalesced into the cosmic web we see today.

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      The galaxy cluster MACS-J0417.5-1154. Full image below. Credits:
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      Downloads
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      View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute.
      View/Download the research results from the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
      Media Contacts
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      NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
      Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.edu , Leah Ramsey – lramsey@stsci.edu
      Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
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      Details
      Last Updated Sep 04, 2024 Editor Stephen Sabia Contact Laura Betz laura.e.betz@nasa.gov Related Terms
      Astrophysics Galaxies Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes Galaxy clusters Goddard Space Flight Center Gravitational Lensing James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Science & Research The Universe View the full article
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      https://cxc.harvard.edu
      News Media Contact
      Lane Figueroa
      Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
      256-544-0034
      lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov
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      Downloads
      Right click any image to save it or open a larger version in a new tab/window via the browser’s popup menu.
      View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute.
      View/Download the research results from the Astrophysical Journal .
      Media Contacts
      Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov, Rob Gutro – rob.gutro@nasa.gov
      NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
      Marc Airhart – mairhart@austin.utexas.edu
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      Last Updated Aug 26, 2024 Editor Stephen Sabia Contact Laura Betz laura.e.betz@nasa.gov Related Terms
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      Share
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