Hubble Uncovers the Farthest Star Ever Seen

•  Recently, Hubble telescope of NASA has uncovered the farthest star ever seen named as Icarus.
• This star is so far away that its light has taken 9 billion years to reach Earth.
• The scientists took advantage of a phenomenon called ”gravitational lensing” to spot the star. It involves the bending of light by massive galaxy clusters in the line of sight, which magnifies more distant celestial objects. This makes dim, faraway objects that otherwise would be undetectable, like an individual star, visible.
• These observations by astronomers from NASA provide a rare and detailed look at how stars evolve, especially the most luminous stars. Detecting the amplification of a single and pinpoint background star has provided a unique opportunity to test the nature of dark matter in the cluster.

About the Hubble Space Telescope:

• The Hubble is a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency. Here are some basic facts about the telescope and the mission, courtesy the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which operates Hubble for NASA:
• Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has provided a dazzling array of images that have awed and inspired the public. More than just pretty pictures, the dozens of terabytes of data collected has provided insight into the universe, from objects as close as the moon to the most remote galaxies, with incredible photos of supernovas and nebulas in between.
• The telescope initially launched with a flaw in its mirror that hampered its ability to do observations. But following a successful shuttle repair mission in 1993, the reputation of Hubble recovered and today it is one of the most famous telescopes ever

By: Vishal