First Image from $10 Billion James Web The Space Telescope was released Monday at the White House – a rumble of distant galaxies that delved far deeper into the universe than humanity could.
Four additional photos released Tuesday include more cosmic beauty shots.
With one exception, the latest images showed parts of the universe seen by other telescopes. But the sheer power of the web, the distant Earth And the use of the infrared light spectrum showed them in new light.
In these images of the Southern Ring planetary nebula, @NASAWebb shows a dying star covered in layers of dust and light.
“Each image is a new discovery and will give each humanity a view of humanity we’ve never seen before,” NASA Administrator bill nelson Coordinating on images showing “stars forming, devouring black holes,” said Tuesday.
Webb’s use of the infrared light spectrum allows the telescope to see through cosmic dust and “see light from the far corners of the universe”.
“We have really changed our understanding of the universe,” said the director general of the European Space Agency. Joseph Ashbacker,
Clouds on another world. @NASAWebb captured the water sign on the giant gas planet WASP 96-b, which orbits one st… https://t.co/cUzXShio2u
— NASA (@NASA) 1657637253000
European and Canadian space agencies joined with NASA in building the powerful telescope.
— The Southern Ring Nebula, sometimes called the “Eight-Eruption”. About 2,500 light-years away, it shows a rising cloud of gas around a dying star. A light year is 5.8 trillion miles.
— The Carina Nebula, one of the brightest stellar nurseries in the sky, about 7,600 light-years away.
A sea of cosmic rocks and stars. @NASAWeb reveals baby stars in the Carina Nebula, where ultraviolet radiation and… https://t.co/YKKdLVr3KP
— NASA (@NASA) 1657639275000
– Five galaxies in a cosmic dance, 290 million light years away. Stephen’s Quintet was first observed 225 years ago in the constellation Pegasus.
A blue giant planet named WASP-96b. It is about the size of Saturn and is 1,150 light-years away. A gas planet, it is not a candidate for life elsewhere but an important target for astronomers.
Captured in excellent detail, @NASAWeb looked through the thick dust of Stephen’s Quintet, a galaxy cluster showing giant shockwaves and tidal tails.
The images were released one by one at an event at NASA’s Goddard Space Center that included fanfare cheerleaders the color of the telescope’s golden mirrors.
The world’s largest and most powerful space telescope took off from French Guiana in South America last December. It reached its lookout point 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth in January. Then the lengthy process began to align the mirrors, cooling the infrared detectors enough to operate and calibrate the science instruments, all protected by a sunshade the size of a tennis court that kept the telescope cool.
Webb is considered the successor to the highly successful, but aging Hubble Space Telescope.