Have you ever wondered what the farthest star we can see is? Well, meet Arendelle! Scientists call it WHL0137-LS, but Arendelle is its nickname. It’s the most distant star we’ve ever seen, even farther than the previous record-holder, Icarus. This discovery is a big deal in the world of astronomy, which is the study of stars and space.
The name “Arendelle” comes from a story by J.R.R. Tolkien called “Silmarillion.” In the story, there’s a character known as the Mariner who sails across the sky, bringing light to dark places. This name is perfect for the star because Arendelle shines brightly in the vast universe, helping us learn more about space.
Arendelle was found using a powerful tool called the Hubble Space Telescope. This telescope used a special trick called gravitational lensing to spot the star. Gravitational lensing helps us see things that are really far away by bending light around massive objects. Arendelle was discovered in a part of the sky known as the constellation of Satussa, where it was hiding among other cosmic wonders.
Arendelle is about 28 billion light-years away from Earth. That’s almost twice as far as Icarus! A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, which is super far. Arendelle is a hot blue star, and it’s huge—between 50 and 100 times the mass of our Sun. Stars this big usually don’t live very long, and scientists think Arendelle has already exploded into a supernova, which is what happens when a star ends its life.
Arendelle is incredibly hot, with a surface temperature of at least 20,000 Kelvin. This high temperature makes it very bright, allowing us to see it from so far away. The James Webb Space Telescope, another amazing tool, has suggested that Arendelle might be part of a group of stars, possibly a binary or trinary system. This means it could have one or two star companions!
Arendelle is an amazing discovery that shows how far we’ve come in exploring the universe. As the earliest and most distant star we’ve found, it not only takes the place of Icarus but also fills us with wonder and curiosity about what else is out there. Who knows what other incredible things we’ll discover next?
Create Your Own Star Map: Use a piece of black construction paper and some white chalk or a white crayon to create your own star map. Draw the constellation of Satussa where Arendelle was found. Add other stars and create your own constellations. Think about what stories or names you would give to your newly discovered stars and constellations. Share your star map with your classmates and explain your choices.
Light-Year Exploration: To understand how far a light-year is, imagine light traveling around the Earth. Light can travel around the Earth about 7.5 times in one second! Now, think about how far it would travel in one year. Discuss with a partner how far 28 billion light-years might be. Try to come up with a comparison that makes sense to you, like how many times you would have to travel to the moon and back to equal that distance.
Temperature Experiment: Arendelle is very hot, with a surface temperature of at least 20,000 Kelvin. To explore temperature differences, fill three bowls with water: one with cold water, one with room temperature water, and one with warm water. Place your hand in each bowl and describe how each feels. Discuss how stars can have different temperatures and how that affects their color and brightness. Remember, never touch anything too hot!
