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JWST has puzzled astronomers by revealing large, bright, massive early galaxies. But the littlest ones pack the greatest cosmic punch.
One remarkable patch of sky just solved a major cosmic puzzle.
Shortly after the Big Bang — before any stars arise — the first stable, neutral atoms formed.
These atoms, however, absorb visible light, rendering space opaque.
Energetic, ultraviolet photons are required to reionize atoms.
Determining how early stars and galaxies reionized the Universe is a cosmic challenge.
It’s a challenge perfectly suited for JWST, however, with help from Einstein.
This image shows Pandora’s cluster, Abell 2744: a massive collection of galaxy clusters.
This huge mass collection bends and distorts the surrounding spacetime.