Cosmic Lens Unveils Hyperactive Cradle of Future Galaxy Cluster

• Astronomers discovered a distant protocluster, over 11 billion light-years away, representing a future galaxy cluster in formation.
• The region, dubbed a 'hyperactive cradle,' is a dense area of intense star formation with many young galaxies.
• A massive foreground cluster acted as a cosmic lens, bending and brightening light to reveal eleven individual galaxies that would otherwise be invisible.
• This is the first strongly lensed protocluster core ever found, offering an unprecedented view into the early universe's densest regions.
• Observations from ALMA and NSF’s Very Large Array confirmed the galaxies' physical connection and revealed high star formation rates.

Why It Matters: A cosmic lens revealed a hyperactive protocluster, offering a rare glimpse into early galaxy cluster formation.