Pandora's Cluster (Abell 2744) by JWST

What is Pandora's Cluster (Abell 2744)?

This high-quality image showcases Abell 2744, known as Pandora's Cluster, a massive galaxy cluster located in the constellation Sculptor. The cluster is renowned for its complex and chaotic structure, formed by the collision of several smaller galaxy clusters.

This cosmic masterpiece reveals the cluster's vibrant mix of galaxies, some appearing as shining points of light while others stretch into dazzling arcs through the gravitational lensing effect.

Astronomers estimate 50,000 sources of near-infrared light are represented in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. 

Their light has travelled through varying distances to reach the telescope’s detectors, representing the vastness of space in a single image. A foreground star in our own galaxy, to the right of the image center, displays Webb’s distinctive diffraction spikes.

Bright white sources surrounded by a hazy glow are the galaxies of Pandora’s Cluster, a conglomeration of already-massive clusters of galaxies coming together to form a megacluster. The concentration of mass is so great that the fabric of spacetime is warped by gravity, creating an effect that makes the region of special interest to astronomers: a natural, super-magnifying glass called a “gravitational lens” that they can use to see very distant sources of light beyond the cluster that would otherwise be undetectable, even to Webb. 

These lensed sources appear red in the image, and often as elongated arcs distorted by the gravitational lens. Many of these are galaxies from the early universe, with their contents magnified and stretched out for astronomers to study. Other red sources in the image have yet to be confirmed by follow-up observations with Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instrument to determine their true nature.

One intriguing example is an extremely compact source that appears as a tiny red dot, despite the magnifying effect of the gravitational lens. One possibility is that the dot is a supermassive black hole in the early universe. NIRSpec data will provide both distance measurements and compositional details of selected sources, providing a wealth of previously-inaccessible information about the universe and how it has evolved over time. 

Ideal for astronomy enthusiasts, astrophotographers, and anyone fascinated by the grandeur of the universe, this print brings the mysterious beauty of deep space into your home, office, or educational space

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ivo Labbe (Swinburne), Rachel Bezanson (University of Pittsburgh)

IMAGE PROCESSING: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

See other posters related to the James Webb Space Telescope:

Public domain masterpieces

The mission of this series is to promote space and science. The creators want these designs to hang on your wall, which is in line with our mission in Astrography. That is why we decided to use our competence in printing cosmos inspired graphics and photos to provide you with these projects in the highest possible quality on Fine Art (Giclée) pigments and papers.

These projects are available in the public domain. You can download them from NASA website and print them at any printing house. but we are convinced that thanks to our experience in printing space photographs we are able to provide the best quality of these posters in the world. We do not earn on copyright here. In this series, we provide specializing printing competences & technologies (dedicated in space), packaging and worldwide logistics. Let the promotion of science and art become a common fashion.