A highly magnified star at redshift 6.2

Brian Welch (), Dan Coe, Jose M. Diego, Adi Zitrin, Erik Zackrisson, Paola Dimauro, Yolanda Jiménez-Teja, Patrick Kelly, Guillaume Mahler, Masamune Oguri, F. X. Timmes, Rogier Windhorst, Michael Florian, S. E. Mink, Roberto J. Avila, Jay Anderson, Larry Bradley, Keren Sharon, Anton Vikaeus, Stephan McCandliss, Maruša Bradač, Jane Rigby, Brenda Frye, Sune Toft, Victoria Strait, Michele Trenti, Soniya Sharma, Felipe Andrade-Santos and Tom Broadhurst
Additional contact information
Brian Welch: The Johns Hopkins University
Dan Coe: The Johns Hopkins University
Jose M. Diego: Instituto de Física de Cantabria (CSIC-UC)
Adi Zitrin: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Erik Zackrisson: Uppsala University
Paola Dimauro: Observatório Nacional, Ministério da Ciencia, Tecnologia, Inovaçãoe Comunicações
Yolanda Jiménez-Teja: Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía
Patrick Kelly: University of Minnesota
Guillaume Mahler: University of Michigan
Masamune Oguri: University of Tokyo
F. X. Timmes: Arizona State University
Rogier Windhorst: Arizona State University
Michael Florian: University of Arizona
S. E. Mink: Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik
Roberto J. Avila: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Jay Anderson: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Larry Bradley: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Keren Sharon: University of Michigan
Anton Vikaeus: Uppsala University
Stephan McCandliss: The Johns Hopkins University
Maruša Bradač: University of California, Davis
Jane Rigby: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Brenda Frye: University of Arizona
Sune Toft: Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN)
Victoria Strait: University of California, Davis
Michele Trenti: University of Melbourne
Soniya Sharma: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Felipe Andrade-Santos: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Tom Broadhurst: University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

Nature, 2022, vol. 603, issue 7903, 815-818

Abstract: Abstract Galaxy clusters magnify background objects through strong gravitational lensing. Typical magnifications for lensed galaxies are factors of a few but can also be as high as tens or hundreds, stretching galaxies into giant arcs1,2. Individual stars can attain even higher magnifications given fortuitous alignment with the lensing cluster. Recently, several individual stars at redshifts between approximately 1 and 1.5 have been discovered, magnified by factors of thousands, temporarily boosted by microlensing3–6. Here we report observations of a more distant and persistent magnified star at a redshift of 6.2 ± 0.1, 900 million years after the Big Bang. This star is magnified by a factor of thousands by the foreground galaxy cluster lens WHL0137–08 (redshift 0.566), as estimated by four independent lens models. Unlike previous lensed stars, the magnification and observed brightness (AB magnitude, 27.2) have remained roughly constant over 3.5 years of imaging and follow-up. The delensed absolute UV magnitude, −10 ± 2, is consistent with a star of mass greater than 50 times the mass of the Sun. Confirmation and spectral classification are forthcoming from approved observations with the James Webb Space Telescope.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04449-y

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