In this zoomed-in detail of the Hubble image of Abell 370, the host galaxy where the 44 stars were ... [+] discovered appears several times: in a normal image (left), and a distorted image appearing as a drawn-out smear of light.NASAAstronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have used a distortion in space to reveal over 40 individual stars in a galaxy 6.5 billion light-years from the Milky Wayhalfway back to the beginning of the universe. Its the largest number of individual stars ever detected in the distant universe.The unique image, which takes advantage of JWSTs high-resolution optics, was only possible because the light from 44 stars in a distant galaxy was magnified by a massive cluster of galaxies in front of it called Abell 370.Gravitational LensingThis technique, called gravitational lensingalso known as an Einstein ring because it was predicted by the famous scientist Albert Einsteinworks when the gravitational field of a foreground object distorts the space around it. Light is bent from an object behind it into circular rings or arcs, both revealing the existence of something in the background and, crucially, magnifying it by factors of hundreds or even thousands. In this case, an arc was visible, dubbed the Dragon Arc.In a paper published today in Nature Astronomy, scientists at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A press release accompanying the paper described the feat as a bit like raising a pair of binoculars at the moon in hopes of making out individual grains of dust inside its craters.The massive, yet invisible halo of dark matter of a galaxy cluster works as a "macrolens,", while ... [+] lone, unbound stars drifting through the cluster act as additional "microlenses, multiplying the factor of magnification.Yoshinobu Fudamoto MORE FOR YOUGroundbreaking Discovery This groundbreaking discovery demonstrates, for the first time, that studying large numbers of individual stars in a distant galaxy is possible, said postdoctoral researcher Fengwu Sun, one of the papers co-authors. While previous studies with the Hubble Space Telescope found around seven stars, we now have the capability to resolve stars that were previously outside of our capability.Astronomers do not expect to see individual stars in galaxies halfway across the observable universe. However, the achievements are not simply a record-breaker; scientists hope it will also help them learn more about so-called dark matter.Dark matter is what astronomers call hypothetical undetectable particles that are invisible. They're thought to account for about 85% of matter in the entire universe. Although they interact with gravity, they absorb, reflect and emit no light or energy. Observing more individual stars will also help us better understand the dark matter in the lensing plane of these galaxies and stars, which we couldnt do with only the handful of individual stars observed previously, said Sun.Abell 370, a galaxy cluster located nearly 4 billion light-years away from Earth features several ... [+] arcs of light, including the "Dragon Arc" (lower left of center). These arcs are caused by gravitational lensing: Light from distant galaxies far behind the massive galaxy cluster coming toward Earth is bent around Abell 370 by its massive gravity, resulting in contorted images.NASA, ESA/Hubble, HST Frontier FRed Supergiant StarsMany of the stars in the Dragon Arc are red supergiants, similar to Betelgeuse in the constellation of Orion and Aldebaran in Taurus, both of which are visible now in the eastern night sky immediately after sunset. Their detection was made possible by JWST's sensitivity to infrared light. We know more about red supergiants in our local galactic neighborhood because they are closer, and we can take better images and spectra, and sometimes even resolve the stars, said Sun.We can use the knowledge weve gained from studying red supergiants in the local universe to interpret what happens next for them at such an early epoch of galaxy formation in future studies.It's hoped that JWST's landmark discovery will be followed up by more observations of more magnified stars in the Dragon Arc galaxy and other distant galaxies.Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.