Nasa releases stunning new images from James Webb Space Telescope
12 July 2022, 17:21
Nasa has released a series of stunning new images of the distant cosmos from its James Webb Space Telescope.
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The Southern Ring planetary nebula, lit up by a dying star in its centre, is seen in the first image.
A second shows Stephan's Quintet, a galaxy cluster locked in a "sort of cosmic dance driven by the gravitational force", according to data scientist Giovanna Giardino.
Some stars go out with a bang. In these images of the Southern Ring planetary nebula, @NASAWebb shows a dying star cloaked by dust and layers of light. Explore this star's final performance at https://t.co/63zxpNDi4I #UnfoldTheUniverse. pic.twitter.com/dfzrpvrewQ
— NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022
Take Five: Captured in exquisite detail, @NASAWebb peered through the thick dust of Stephan’s Quintet, a galaxy cluster showing huge shockwaves and tidal tails. This is a front-row seat to galactic evolution: https://t.co/63zxpNDi4I #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/em9wSJPkEU
— NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022
A third image shows the cosmic cliffs of the Carina Nebula, where new stars are forming among colossal walls of dust and gas.
Deputy project scientist Amber Straughn says in the new image we see "hundreds of new stars that we've never seen before, we see examples of bubbles and cavities and jets that are being blown out by these newborn stars, we even see some galaxies lurking in the background".
Cosmic cliffs & a sea of stars. @NASAWebb reveals baby stars in the Carina Nebula, where ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds shape colossal walls of dust and gas. https://t.co/63zxpNDi4I #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/dXCokBAYGQ
— NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022
Nasa and its partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Canadian Space Agency, released the full-colour images during a live Nasa TV broadcast on Tuesday.
The telescope's first image was revealed overnight, showing what is said to be the "deepest" and most detailed picture of the cosmos to date.
Known as Webb's First Deep Field, the picture showcases a galaxy cluster called SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago.
It's here–the deepest, sharpest infrared view of the universe to date: Webb's First Deep Field.
— NASA (@NASA) July 11, 2022
Previewed by @POTUS on July 11, it shows galaxies once invisible to us. The full set of @NASAWebb's first full-color images & data will be revealed July 12: https://t.co/63zxpNDi4I pic.twitter.com/zAr7YoFZ8C
It was revealed by US President Joe Biden during an event at the White House.
The James Webb Space Telescope lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on Christmas Day last year on its mission to unlock the secrets of the universe.
Researchers will soon begin to learn more about the galaxies' masses, ages, histories and compositions as Webb seeks to view the earliest galaxies in the Universe.
