James Webb: Nasa space telescope delivers spectacular pictures
Image credit, NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI
Above: The cosmic dance of five galaxies observed by Webb's mid-infrared instrument
The cosmic dance of five galaxies viewed by Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument
Stunning images of a "stellar nursery" and a "cosmic dance" have been acquired by Nasa's new $10bn space telescope.
Those two photos and others were revealed to the world on Tuesday, signaling that the James Webb Observatory is ready to start science operation.
The two pictures, and others, were presented to the world on Tuesday to mark the James Webb observatory's readiness to begin science operations.
The facility has been tested over the past six months since its launch.
The facility has spent the past six months since launch undergoing testing.
As the successor to the famous Hubble Telescope , Webb is expected to become a dominant force in astronomical exploration for at least the next 20 years.
Viewed as the successor to the famous Hubble telescope, Webb is expected to be a dominant force for discovery for at least the next 20 years.
The new observatory is a joint project of the U.S., European and Canadian space agencies - led by NASA .
The new observatory is a joint project of the US, European and Canadian space agencies - with Nasa in the lead.
Webb is specially tuned to see the sky through infrared - light with longer wavelengths than our naked eyes can perceive .
Webb has been specially tuned to see the sky in the infrared - that's light at longer wavelengths than can be sensed by our eyes.
This will allow it to look deeper into the universe than its predecessor ( Hubble) and thus be able to Detect astronomical phenomena even further back - events that occurred more than 13.5 billion years ago.
This will give it the ability to look deeper into the Universe than its predecessor and, as a consequence, detect events occurring further back in time - more than 13.5 billion years ago.
Astronomers will also use its more advanced technology to study us The atmospheres of planets in the galaxy in the hope of detecting signs of life.
Astronomers will also use its more advanced technologies to study the atmospheres of planets in our Milky Way Galaxy in the hope that signs of life can be detected.
The initial batch of images is just a taste of what is to come, said British researcher Professor Gillian Wright , who is co-principal investigator of one of Webb's four infrared instruments.
The initial batch of images were just a taster of what would follow, said Prof Gillian Wright, the British researcher who's co-principal investigator on one of Webb's four infrared instruments.
"Whenever you look at the sky in a new way, "Whenever you look at the sky in a new way, you see things that you didn't expect.
"In fact, these new data are so good, their quality is so good. So good that they were captured in just a few hours of observation - which tells you that these discoveries are just sitting there waiting to be made," the director of the UK's Astronomy Technology Center told BBC News.
"The fact that these new data are so good, that they're of such good quality, that they've been obtained in just a few hours of observations - that's telling you that the discoveries are just sitting out there waiting to be made ," the director of the UK Astronomy Technology Center told BBC News.
Carina Nebula
Image source,NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI
Carina Nebula is ha The classic target of the Webb telescope - the predecessor to Webb - although in this version of Webb we get a very different rendering.
The Carina Nebula was a classic target of the Hubble telescope - Webb's predecessor - although in this Webb version we get a very different rendering.
Carina is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located about 7,600 light-years from Earth.
Carina is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located roughly 7,600 light-years from Earth.
Nebulae are nurseries of stars. They are huge clouds of gas and dust from which new stars are being formed.
Nebulae are stellar nurseries. They are a massive clouds of gas and dust in which new stars are forming.
In addition to this Webb image, we don't just see stars - our eyes are attracted to all the gas and dust. What astronomers are referring to here is a "cosmic reef" or "cosmic cliff" - a kind of wide dividing line between the dust in the lower half and the gas in the upper half.
Except in this Webb image, we not only see the stars - our eyes are drawn to all that gas and the dust. Astronomers refer here to a "cosmic reef", or "cosmic cliff" - a kind of broad demarcation between dust in the bottom half, and then gas in the top half.
One of Webber's main scientific goals was to study how stars form, and Carina was an ideal study subject.
One of Webb's key scientific goals is to study how stars form, and Carina is an excellent place to do that.
SMACS 0723
SMACS 0723 is a giant galaxy cluster. It's called a "gravitational lens" by astronomers because the mass of cluster bends and amplifies the light of more distant objects.
SMACS 0723 is a huge cluster of galaxies. It's known to astronomers as a "gravitational lens" because the mass of the cluster bends and magnifies the light of objects that are much further away.
You can see a red one everywhere The arc - that's a galaxy - is very far away, and much further back in time. The light in some of these arcs has taken more than 13 billion years to reach our planet.
Everywhere you see a red arc-like structure - that's something - a galaxy - way off in the distance and far further back in time. The light in some of those arcs has taken over 13 billion years to reach us.
There's something a little bit here Weird thing - some of the arcs on both sides of the image are actually the same object. Their light curved through SMACS 0723 in more than one path.
And here's the slightly bizarre thing - some of those arcs on either side of the image are actually the same object. Their light has been bent through SMACS 0723 on more than one path.
The Southern Ring
Image source, NASA/Europe IMAGE SOURCE, NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI
You will see the stunning Hubble images in those coffee table books.
You'll have seen versions of this in those coffee table books of stunning Hubble images.
The Southern Ring, or "Eight Burst" Nebula, is a massive expanding sphere of gas and dust illuminated by a dying star at its center.
The Southern Ring, or "Eight-Burst" nebula, is a giant expanding sphere of gas and dust that's been lit up by a dying star in the centre.
As stars age, they change the way they make energy and eject it their outer layer. Then, when the star gets very hot again, it energizes all the stuff it previously spurned.
As stars age, they change the way they make energy and eject their outer layers. And then, when the star gets very hot again, it energises all that material it had previously spurned.
The southern ring is nearly half a light-year in diameter and about 2,000 meters from Earth. Light years.
The Southern Ring is nearly half a light-year in diameter and is located about 2,000 light-years from Earth.
This type of structure is called a "planetary nebula," but it actually has nothing to do with a planet. This is a misnomer from the early days of telescopes, when they did not have the resolution that they have today.
This type of structure is called a "planetary nebula", but it actually has nothing to do with planets. It's a misnomer from the early days of telescopes when they didn't have anything like the resolution they have today.
As Weber wanted to see Just as it looks at how stars are born, it also wants to see how they die.
Just as Webb wants to see how stars are born, it wants to see how they die, also.
Stephan's Quintet
About 290 million light-years away, Stephan's Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus.
About 290 million light-years away, Stephan's Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus.
Remarkably, it is the first compact galaxy group ever discovered. Four of the quintet of galaxies are locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters.
It's notable for being the first compact galaxy group ever discovered. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet are locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters.
This Webb image does not look different from the Hubble version at first glance, but the new telescope The infrared sensitivity will provide different signatures for astronomers to study. That's the best hope - we'll have Webb working with Hubble. They have different strengths and being able to compare and contrast will provide new dimensions to scientists' research.
This Webb image doesn't look that different from the Hubble version at first glance, but the new telescope's infrared sensitivity will pull out different features for astronomers to study. And this was the great hope - that we would have Webb working alongside Hubble. They have different strengths and being able to compare and contrast will give scientists a new dimension to their studies.
We don't know how long Hubble will operate. It is 32 years old and prone to technical glitches. But NASA officials in charge of this old warhorse have just submitted a five-year budget plan. (Let's) pray for good luck.
We don't know for how much longer Hubble will operate. It's 32 years old and prone to technical glitches. But the officials at Nasa who are in charge of the old warhorse have just submitted a five-year budget plan. Keep your fingers crossed .
WASP-96b WASP-96b
This is not a pretty picture. This is a spectrum.
This is not a pretty picture. This is a spectrum.
About half of what Weber would do was spectroscopy.This involves distinguishing light into its constituent "colors" to reveal the properties of the target - what it is made of, how fast it moves, how hot it is, etc.
About a half of what Webb will do is spectroscopy. This involves splitting light into its component "colours" to reveal something about a target's properties - what it's made of, how fast it's moving, how hot it is, etc.
This is W Spectra obtained from the atmosphere of ASP-96b, a giant planet outside our solar system about 1,150 light-years from Earth.
This is a spectrum obtained for the atmosphere of WASP-96b, a giant planet outside our Solar System, about 1,150 light-years from Earth.
WASP-96b is a bit like Jupiter; it has a large gas shield.
WASP-96b is a bit like Jupiter; it has a big gaseous shroud.
Webb is able to identify molecules in the atmosphere with astonishing accuracy. You will see clear signs of water vapor.
And Webb is able to identify with stunning precision molecules in the atmosphere. You see clear markers for water vapor.
WASP-96b is not a suitable planet to host life; it is too close to its parent star and therefore too hot.
WASP-96b is not the right kind of planet to host life; it's too close to its parent star and therefore too hot.
But Webb will look for planets with atmospheres similar to Earth's. When this happens, we will ask: Are these planets habitable?
But Webb will be looking for planets that have atmospheres similar to Earth. When that happens, we will be asking: could those planets be habitable?
SourceJonathan Amos
BBC Science Correspondent
Translation Assistant: Luzhou
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