
Clusters of galaxies, such as the one pictured here named SMACS 0723, are so massive that they warp spacetime enough to noticeably bend the path of light rays passing nearby. This lets them act like a lens that magnifies more distant galaxies lying behind the cluster. In this image, each squiggle is its own galaxy, a massive collection of stars similar to our own Milky Way, magnified and distorted by SMACS 0723. It was one of the first images taken with JWST's NIRCam, and you can read more about this observation in our AAS Nova highlight and a series of corresponding research articles in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and the Astrophysical Journal. [NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI]
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