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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Unparalleled Images of the Universe
In a historic moment for humanity, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) team has finally revealed several incredible images of cosmic features in rich detail. NASA’s latest flagship space telescope, developed in collaboration with European and Canadian space agencies, builds upon iconic designs, including the Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra. And today, astronomy fans were given a taste of its capabilities, viewing images of nebulae and distant galaxies as well as a spectrum of an exoplanet’s atmosphere.
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Image: NASA
Jonathan Lunine, a Cornell University astrobiologist on the JWST team, said, “This image is remarkable because of the number of galaxies that you see, and it’s not the deepest that Webb is capable of, so we’ll see even more. This is definitely the hors d’oeuvres, and the main course will be coming out over the months and years ahead,” says Jonathan Lunine, a Cornell University astrobiologist on the JWST team.
The remarkable shots even caught the eye of the White House, with the Biden administration praising the Webb team and releasing one image a day early. “This telescope is one of humanity’s great engineering achievements, and the images we will see today are a testament to the amazing work done by the thousands of workers across our nation who dedicated years to this project,” said Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House briefing.
Before revealing the highly detailed image, President Joe Biden said, “It’s a new window into the history of our universe, and today we’ll get a glimpse of the first light to shine through that window”. Biden then revealed an image of a cluster of galaxies in vivid detail”.
The JWST was launched last Christmas, with scientists taking roughly six months to set up and test the telescope instruments. The device includes a variety of extremely sensitive gear, including mid-infrared cameras and spectrographs, which spread the measured light into its component wavelengths. Now, the hard work is beginning to pay off, producing a series of mind-blowing images that astronomers can study and scientifically analyse.
Progressing our understanding of the great unknown, research programs will use these images to measure the universe’s expansion rate, study the first galaxies to assemble, and find out what exoplanets are made of. Lunine says more images will begin accumulating on NASA’s public JWST website as science programs unfold over the coming months.
Below are five images that NASA released today.
Image: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI
A Nebula of Young Stars
This cosmic mountain of beauty shows part of the Carina Nebula, one of the biggest and brightest Nebulae, filled with young and massive stars which eat up gas and dust as they grow. The JWST sensitive cameras highlight hundreds of newborn stars in the nebula that have never been seen before, along with galaxies featured in the background.
Image: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI
A Massive Cluster of Galaxies
Kown as SMACS 0723, this image reveals thousands of galaxies in the distant universe now called Webb’s First Deep Field. Taken with the near-infrared camera, NIRCam, it shows the cluster as it appeared some 4.6 billion years ago. Acting as a gravitational lens, the camera bends light and brings fainter, more distant objects into focus.
Image: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI
A Spectrum of a Giant Exoplanet
The new space telescope also features a spectrograph, able to probe the contents of a planet’s atmosphere. This allows JWST to infer the presence of clouds and hazes around the planet.
Image: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI
The Nebula of a Dying Star
Here we see the amazing Southern Ring Nebula in the near and mid-infrared wavelengths, showing a dying star expelling waves of clouds of gas and dust that could later set the foundation for new stars.
Image: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI
A Compact Group of Galaxies
This image shows in detail the first compact galaxy group ever discovered, named Stephan’s Quintet. As seen by spiral galaxies with elongated arms, these close galaxies brush against each other, twist around one another, and pull each other part.
For the latest updates and information on the James Webb telescope, head to NASA’s James Webb public website.
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Sam Mangioni
Sam Mangioni is an experienced Staff Writer with an extensive background in digital content production and news. Prior to working for Man of Many, Sam spent three years at Southern Cross Austereo where he served as a Content Producer and News Reporter for the flagship Triple M Breakfast Program. The Sydney-based reporter completed a Bachelor of Commerce from Macquarie University Majoring in Marketing in 2014. A specialist in sport, lifestyle and gear coverage, Sam's work has also featured in Fight News Australia.
