Webb Finds Distant Galaxies Seen Behind Pandora’s Cluster

Two of the most distant galaxies seen to date are captured in these Webb pictures of the outer regions of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 2744. The galaxies are not inside the cluster, but many billions of light-years behind it. 

The galaxy featured in the image at the top centre is extracted from the image on the left. It existed only 450 million years after the Big Bang. 

The galaxy featured in the image at the bottom centre is extracted from the image on the right. It existed 350 million years after the Big Bang. 

Both galaxies are seen really close in time to the Big Bang which occurred 13.8 billion years ago. These galaxies are tiny compared to our Milky Way, being just a few percent of its size, even the unexpectedly elongated galaxy showcased in the top centre image.

[Image Description: Graphic titled “Abell 2744 GLASS JWST/NIRCam” with two large images showing thousands of galaxies of different colours, shapes, and sizes, and two smaller pull-outs showing details in the large images.]

Credit: