[imagesource: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI]
Yesterday, we were enthralled by that mind-expanding image brought out by the new and improved, gold-mirrored $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
You can see that shot above, with the gravitational lens and cluster of far-flung galaxies in dazzling detail, probing parts of the 13,8 billion-year-old universe that we have never seen before.
That image was shown to the world on Monday, but little did we know that NASA would be releasing other amazing photos from JWST’s first batch over the course of Tuesday.
As NASA administrator Bill Nelson said, each image is essentially a new discovery, which is far too an exciting concept not to plonk them all here, so we’re doing just that.
NASA’s teaser image (the one above), by the way, is a mere fraction of the space that surrounds us, per Sky News‘ science and technology editor Tom Clarke:
“If you held out your arm outstretched with a grain of sand on your finger- that’s the size of the patch of sky this image covers,” he says.
If that doesn’t do something to your brain, then this comparison between the JWST and the old Hubble telescope might:
Hubble vs James Webb at the same region in space pic.twitter.com/b0G0o2mcZh
— Latest in space (@latestinspace) July 12, 2022
Then, the second image is of a giant planet, which is floating nearly 1 150 light-years from Earth (a light-year is around 9,3 trillion kilometres, not that that helps me make sense of the space), orbiting its star every 3,4 days:
Besides the Webb aiming to take pictures of the very first stars to shine in the universe more than 13,5 billion years ago, it also has the goal of probing far-off planets to see if they might be habitable:
This image is an analysis of the atmosphere of a giant planet called WASP-96 b, and is the first “spectrum analysis” of an exoplanet’s atmosphere.
…NASA said: “Webb spotted the unambiguous signature of water, indications of haze & evidence for clouds (once thought not to exist there)!”
Although planet WASP-96 b isn’t able to sustain life, Webb might be able to find one that can pretty soon. We trust in Webb.
Moving on to image number three, an infrared shot of a planetary nebula caused by a dying star, nearly 2 000 light-years from Earth:
Perhaps most awe-inspiring is this shot of the cosmic cliffs in the Carina Nebula, 7 600 light-years away:
A star is born!
Behind the curtain of dust and gas in these “Cosmic Cliffs” are previously hidden baby stars, now uncovered by Webb. We know — this is a show-stopper. Just take a second to admire the Carina Nebula in all its glory: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/OiIW2gRnYI
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 12, 2022
Let’s compare that to what Webb’s predecessor, the Hubble telescope managed to capture:
The Webb version again:
Almost incomparable.
For the fourth image, we have a “cosmic dance” in Stephan’s Quintet, which is a look at a group of five galaxies, two of which are in the process of merging:
I am sure your mind is sufficiently bent and/or expanded by now, but if you really want to appreciate all the detail in these images, I recommend heading over to the NASA Webb Telescope website.
There you’ll find the Webb team has uploaded the full resolution TIFFs from the observatory.
Now to get on with our puny lives…
[source:skynews]
