SMACS J0723.3–7327, commonly referred to as SMACS 0723, is a
galaxy cluster
A galaxy cluster, or a cluster of galaxies, is a structure that consists of anywhere from hundreds to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity, with typical masses ranging from 1014 to 1015 solar masses. Clusters consist of galax ...
about 4 billion light years from Earth, within the southern
constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The first constellati ...
of
Volans
Volans is a constellation in the southern sky. It represents a flying fish; its name is a shortened form of its original name, Piscis Volans. Volans was one of twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirks ...
(
RA/Dec = 110.8375, −73.4391667). It is a patch of sky visible from the
Southern Hemisphere on
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
and often observed by the
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...
and other telescopes in search of the deep past.
It was the target of the
first full-color image to be unveiled by the
James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy. As the largest telescope in space, it is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, Lis ...
(JWST), imaged using
NIRCam
NIRCam (Near-InfraRed Camera) is an instrument aboard the James Webb Space Telescope. It has two major tasks, as an imager from 0.6 to 5 micrometre, μm wavelength, and as a wavefront sensor to keep the 18-section mirrors functioning as one ...
, with
spectra included, showing objects lensed by the cluster with
redshifts
In physics, a redshift is an increase in the wavelength, and corresponding decrease in the frequency and photon energy, of electromagnetic radiation (such as light). The opposite change, a decrease in wavelength and increase in frequency and e ...
implying they are 13.1 billion years old. The cluster has been previously observed by the
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...
(HST) as part of the
Southern MAssive Cluster Survey (SMACS),
as well as
Planck
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (; ; 23 April 1858 – 4 October 1947) was a German theoretical physicist whose discovery of energy quanta won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.
Planck made many substantial contributions to theoretical p ...
and
Chandra
Chandra (), also known as Soma (), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) and Dikpala (guardians of the directions).
Etymology and other ...
.
In 2022, in the field
gravitationally lensed by SMAC 0723, some of the then most ancient massive star clusters were discovered in a lensed galaxy called the "Sparkler Galaxy".
References
External links
SMACS J0723.3-7327STScI. Hubble Legacy Archive website
NASA’s Webb Delivers Deepest Infrared Image of Universe YetNASA Press release
Galaxy clusters
Volans
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