[5] Stars like Earendel can be observed at cosmological distances thanks to the large magnification factors afforded by gravitational lensing, which can exceed 1,000.

[1][10] Eärendil is also the name of a half-elven character in one of J. R. R. Tolkien's books, The Silmarillion, who travelled through the sky with a radiant jewel that appeared as bright as a star.

[11] The star's host galaxy, WHL0137-zD1, was nicknamed "Sunrise Arc", because gravitational lensing distorted its light into a long crescent.

[1][14] James Webb's higher sensitivity is expected to allow the analysis of Earendel's stellar spectra and determine whether it is actually a single star.

[17] Based on Webb's NIRCam data, Earendel is a "massive B-type star more than twice as hot as our Sun, and about a million times more luminous".

[3] Webb's observations, particularly through the Near-Infrared Camera, revealed intriguing details, including hints of a cooler, redder companion star.