The world has seen the most extraordinary, yet unprecedented collection of images ever taken by humanity at the dawning of the universe.
Billed as the ‘next giant leap in space astronomy’, they were taken by the new James Webb Space Telescope — a successor to the famous Hubble observatory — and are being released by NASA at a global press conference today.
This view is more than 13 million years in the making and it ends months of anticipation.
Webb’s infrared capabilities mean it can ‘see back in time’ to within a mere 100-200 million years of the Big Bang, allowing it to take pictures of the very first stars to shine in the universe.
Its first images are of nebulae, an exoplanet and galaxy clusters, on what has been hailed a ‘great day for humanity’.
One spectacular picture captures a planetary nebula caused by a dying star — a fate that awaits our sun some time in the distant future.
You can see the Southern Ring Nebula in amazing detail, located at approximately 2,500 lightyears from Earth.
Another image is of Stephan’s Quintet, which is located in the constellation Pegasus and is notable for being the first compact galaxy group ever discovered in 1877.
The quintet includes four of five galaxies that are engaged in repeated close encounters.
Webb’s biggest image, this mosaic covers approximately one-fifth the diameter of the moon. This mosaic contains more than 150 million pixels, and it is made from nearly 1,000 different image files.
NASA stated that the new information offers NASA insight into the possible galactic interactions that may have influenced galaxy evolution in early universe.
Webb revealed another stunning photo of baby stars in Carina Nebula. These babies are created by stellar winds and ultraviolet radiation.
The ‘cosmic cliffs’ of the Carina Nebula — a star-forming region located roughly 7,600 light-years from Earth in our own Milky Way galaxy — were previously pictured by Hubble.
This new view gives us a rare view of the stars as they form in their early stages, which includes many that had been hidden.
Among the other pictures revealed is an analysis of the atmosphere of a giant planet outside our solar system called WASP-96 b — located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth.
It’s the first time ever that spectrum analysis has been done on an exoplanet’s atmosphere.
Webb recorded the distinctive signature of water and evidence for cloud cover in the atmosphere around the planet. It orbits an distant star that is similar to the sun every 3.4 days.
WASP-96 has half of the Jupiter’s mass, was found in 2014 and announced its existence.
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Sea of stars: Humanity is now able to see the birth of the universe for the very first time in a stunning and unprecedented series of photographs. One of them (pictured) is one showing baby stars in Carina Nebula, where stellar winds and ultraviolet radiation create massive walls of gas and dust.
One picture is Stephan’s Quintet. The constellation Pegasus is where it is. They are notable because they were the first group of compact galaxies to be found in 1877.
Another picture captures a planetary nebula caused by a dying star — a fate that awaits our sun some time in the distant future
Webb’s two cameras captured Webb’s latest image. It was cataloged NGC 3132 and is also known as the Southern Ring Nebula. It lies approximately 2,560 light years away
Webb also analysed the atmosphere of a giant planet outside our solar system called WASP-96 b (pictured) — a giant gas located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth which orbits its star every 3.4 days
Spectacular. This image shows SMACS 0723, a cluster of galaxies located billions light-years from Earth. The US President Joe Biden revealed the news to the world yesterday.
Although the Hubble Space telescope has been analysing many exoplanet atmospherics for the past 20 years, NASA captured the first visible detection of water in 2013. NASA stated that Webb’s more immediate observation represents a huge leap in NASA’s quest to identify potentially habitable worlds beyond Earth.
Yesterday, US President Joe Biden previewed the main event as he unveiled one of Webb’s images that showed a cluster of galaxies 4 billion light-years away from Earth.
It provided the most detailed and precise infrared view of the distant universe, capturing the galaxy cluster SMACS0723 at 4.6 billion years old.
President Biden called it ‘a historic moment for science and technology, for astronomy and space exploration and all of humanity’.
This deep field, taken by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), is a composite made from images at different wavelengths and took just 12.5 hours to compile, compared with the weeks it took predecessor Hubble to observe other ‘deep fields’ – images of a portion of the sky taken with a very long exposure time.
According to NASA, SMACS 0723 has a gravitational pull so powerful that it warps both space-time and the path that light subsequently travels through it.
This light is being studied by scientists to discover more about the origins and evolution of the universe.
NASA said Webb’s NIRCam has brought distant galaxies into sharp focus in the new image — they have tiny, faint structures that have never been seen before, including star clusters and diffuse features.
‘If you had a grain sand in your hand at arm’s reach, what would it look like? NASA administrator Bill Nelson stated that you can see a tiny speck of sand on the tip of your finger.
“You are seeing galaxies shining around galaxies whose light has been dimmed and so you only see a tiny fraction of the universe.
“We look back over 13 billion years. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second — that light that you’re seeing on one of those little specks has been traveling for 13 billion years.
“By and by, we’re continuing to go further.
“Since the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old, it’s almost like we are going back to the beginning.”
Nelson said the $10 billion (£7.4 billion) observatory is so precise that scientists will be able to see whether or not planets in other galaxies are habitable — so whether or not they can host life, possibly like on Earth.
This telescope, (pictured), was launched by Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, on December 25, 2013. It will examine the universe using the infrared spectrum.
Webb has infrared capabilities that allow it to see back to the Big Bang which occurred 13.8 million years ago. Light waves travel extremely quickly, traveling at an average speed of 186,000 miles (300.000 km) every second. You can see further back than the object you are looking at. It takes light time to get from an object to us.
Webb is searching for the first galaxies of the universe and will soon be sharing his knowledge with researchers.
It was launched by Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, on December 25, last year. The infrared spectrum allows the spacecraft to view the universe from clouds of dust and gas, which will allow it to look through these clouds.
Hubble’s predecessor Hubble was able to operate primarily in the ultraviolet and optical wavelengths, since it launched in 1990.
The universe expanding means that light from the oldest stars changes from visible and ultraviolet wavelengths to infrared wavelengths.
Webb is used by Astronomers for infrared observations, data analysis, and publication of scientific papers.
Vice President Kamala Harris of the National Space Council said, “James Webb gives us the ability to see into space deeper than ever before,”
It will increase our knowledge about our universe and the solar system as well as life.
Webb is the best telescope ever made and 100 times more powerful that the Hubble Space Telescope which has been operational for 32 years.
Last week, NASA shared its list of targets for the first images to be captured by Webb — including the giant exoplanet WASP-96 b, the Carina Nebula and Stephan’s Quintet.
Yesterday was a prelude to the main event. Joe Biden (US President) unveiled Webb’s photograph that depicted a group of galaxies four billion light-years from Earth.
Webb’s primary mirror is composed of 18 sections of hexagonal gold-plated beryllium metallic. It measures 21ft 4in (6.5m) in diameter. The primary mirror is supported by three carbon fibre tube or struts that are shallow and extend beyond it.
WASP-96 b was found in 2014. It is a large planet that is mostly made of gas.
The star orbits the Earth 1,150 light years away. Its mass is approximately half that of Jupiter.
Stephan’s Quintet can be found in constellation Pegasus. It is well-known for being the original compact group of galaxies discovered in 1787.
NASA reported that the cosmic dance between four of the five galaxy clusters is a repeated, close encounter.
Webb has an ambitious mission to study the early universe, work out how fast it is now expanding and analyse objects throughout the cosmos ranging from galaxies to exoplanets.
A gigantic, golden telescope measuring over 21 feet by 18 feet has an 18-part hexagonal mirror. This can be folded up or unfolded.
They were slowly and meticulously deployed over the past six months to prepare James Webb for its science mission.
The observatory and most of its instruments have an operating temperature of roughly 40 Kelvin – about minus 387 Fahrenheit (minus 233 Celsius).
As NASA scientists shared their views over the past week, the anticipation for these images only grew.
In June, NASA’s deputy administrator Pam Melroy stated that “What I’ve seen has moved me as a scientist and an individual,” during a press conference.
Bill Nelson, NASA administrator, said that Webb could gaze into space farther than any telescope ever before.
He stated that the mission would explore exoplanet atmospheres and objects within the solar system. This will give us insight into whether their atmospheres could be comparable to our own.
“It might answer some of our questions: What are we made of? There is more! We are who we really are.
“And, of course it’s going answer some questions we don’t even understand.”
Webb is not only what has been planned, but there are also unexpected discoveries that astronomers can’t anticipate.
When Hubble was launched in 1990 dark energy was still unknown. It is now one of the most fascinating areas in astrophysics.
NASA released a teaser image last week ahead of the highly-anticipated publication of deep-space images from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Webb before launch. To capture infrared light, the primary mirror is constructed of 18 hexagonal segments made from beryllium. It has been coated with gold.
NASA would rather think of James Webb a successor than Hubble, since the two will be working together for quite some time.
Because they see galaxies and stars in different ways.
Hubble studies the universe predominantly at optical, or visible, wavelengths, which is the The same light that we see with our eyes.
Webb is, however, set up to see in the Infrared which is not visible to the naked eye but that allows it to detect the glow of distant objects.
This works much in the same manner that night vision goggles utilize thermal imaging technology for infrared lighting.
The earliest known cosmological observations are currently within the Big Bang’s 330 million year time frame. However, Webb’s capabilities allow astronomers to believe that they can easily surpass this record.
The telescope and most of its instruments have an operating temperature of roughly 40 Kelvin – about minus 387 Fahrenheit (minus 233 Celsius).
It started development in 1996. The original plan was to launch it in 2007, however, it suffered a significant redesign in 2005. Further delays caused it to miss its orbital debut at the end last year.
THE JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE
James Webb telescope is described as “a time machine”, which could be used to unravel the secrets and mysteries of the universe.
It will allow you to see back into the beginning of the universe over 13.5 billion years, to examine the stars, planets and moons in our solar system, and to trace the paths of exoplanets.
The vast telescope, which has already cost more than $7 billion (£5 billion), is considered a successor to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope
The James Webb Telescope and most of its instruments have an operating temperature of roughly 40 Kelvin – about minus 387 Fahrenheit (minus 233 Celsius).
It’s the most powerful and largest orbital space telescope on the planet, capable to peer back over 100-200million years from the Big Bang.
This orbiting infrared observatory will be 100 times stronger than the Hubble Space telescope.
NASA would rather think of James Webb a successor than Hubble, since the two will be working together for quite some time.
Hubble’s telescope was launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre via Discovery on April 24, 1990.
It orbits the Earth at 17,000 mph (27.300kph). The Earth orbit is located at approximately 340 miles altitude.