Tuesday marks one year ago James Webb Space Telescope It reaches its destination which is regarding a million kilometers from Earth.
The Webb telescope, which launched on Christmas Day 2021, was a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency to study the formation of the first galaxies in the universe, how it compares to galaxies today, and how our solar system evolved. and whether there is life on other planets.
It uses infrared rays to detect objects in space and can see celestial bodies that are normally invisible to the naked eye.
Since then, the Webb telescope has returned many images, including stars, planets, nebulae, and even galaxies millions of miles away.
Here are some of the most striking photos taken throughout the year:
Engineers and technicians assemble the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on November 2, 2016 in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
distant galaxies
The first color image taken by the Webb Telescope was revealed at a press conference on July 11th The White House was welcomed by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is the “deepest infrared image of the distant universe to date,” according to NASA.
In the first image from the James Webb Space Telescope to be released on July 11, 2022, the deepest infrared image of the early universe was captured in less than a day. It took several weeks for Hubble to produce similar images. The space background is black, with thousands of galaxies appearing in different shapes and colors. These galaxies are part of the galaxy group SMACS 0723 and distort the appearance of the observed galaxies around them.
Space Telescope Science Institute / NASA
Thousands of galaxies can be seen in the image, but according to NASA, they span the size of someone holding a grain of sand at arm’s length.
It was also the first time the public realized just how much more powerful Webb was than its predecessor, the Hubble Telescope, which only sees visible light, ultraviolet, and near-infrared light.
cosmic slopes
The photo was revealed on July 12th At an event hosted by NASAShow new details of the Carina Nebula located in the Milky Way.
Only the edge of the nebula can be seen, but the image shows hundreds of stars that were previously obscured by a cloud of gas and dust.
Behind the curtain of dust and gas in these cosmic recesses, formerly hiding young stars, was discovered by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in an image released July 12, 2022.
NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI
The region, called the cosmic slopes, shows a “giant gaseous cavity” where young, newly born stars are repelling ultraviolet radiation and forming the jagged edge.
The cloud-like structure of the nebula contains hills, peaks, and valleys—a very similar appearance to a mountain range.
Jupiter in detail
On Aug. 22, NASA reveal Two new images of Jupiter, taken by Webb, show the planet’s atmosphere, rings and moons in unprecedented detail.
The first image is a composite showing swirls of different colors, indicating Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere, and the infamous Great Red Spot, which can produce winds of over 250 miles per hour.
The second image shows the rings of Jupiter, which is a million times fainter than the planet – according to NASA – and two of its moons, Adrastea and Amalthea.
An image of Jupiter taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, released Aug. 22, 2022, was taken from the telescope’s Near Infrared Camera, which has three specialized infrared filters that show details on the planet. In this wide view, Webb sees Jupiter with its fainter rings, which are a million times fainter than the planet’s, and two small moons called Amalthea and Adrastea. Hazy patches in the lower background are likely “photosynthetically attacked” galaxies in this Jovian view.
Space Telescope Science Institute / NASA
ghost galaxy
First published on August 30 by ESAWebb took an image of the ghost galaxy, located regarding 32 million light-years from Earth.
Also known as the M74, the Phantom Galaxy has a low surface brightness, which makes it difficult to see and requires clear, dark skies to do so. However, Webb’s sharp lens captured the clearest picture of the galaxy’s features.
And NASA wrote in a Share on social media. “A speckled cluster of young stars glows blue in the galactic core.”
This James Webb Space Telescope image, released on August 31, 2022, shows the core of M74, also known as the phantom galaxy. The telescope revealed gray filaments that form a spiral pattern winding outward from the center of the galaxy. Painted in blue and pink, these spiral arms of the galaxy represent regions where stars are forming. The galactic core is colored blue and has dots, which are young stars forming around the galactic core.
Space Telescope Science Institute / NASA
pillars of creation
NASA released an image of the “Pillars of Creation” – bright red young stars in a cloud of gas and dust – on October 19.
The Pillars of Creation are Elephant Trunks, a type of formation of interstellar matter, located in the Eagle Nebula, which is regarding 6,500 to 7,000 light-years from Earth. according to the space agency.
The “Pillars of Creation” contain layers of near-opaque rusty red gas and dust starting at the lower left and moving upward to the right in this James Webb Space Telescope image, released on October 19, 2022. The Pillars of Creation, first captured by the Hubble telescope in 1995, photographed by the Webb telescope in near infrared, invisible to the naked eye. Vision in infrared allows Webb to cut through dust and reveal many stars. Webb’s image maps out a more accurate count of newborn stars, as well as amounts of gas and dust.
Space Telescope Science Institute / NASA
Hourglass shot
President On November 16, the Webb telescope revealed a protostar corresponding to the early stages of star birth.
The red and orange gas cloud swirls in the shape of a fiery hourglass.
As it absorbs matter, its core compresses, becomes hotter, and eventually begins nuclear fusion, forming a star.
The James Webb Space Telescope captures a flaming hourglass as a new star forms in an image released on November 16, 2022. Hidden in the neck of this “hourglass” of light are the beginnings of a new star, known as a protostar. This protostar is a hot, puffy cluster of gas that makes up only a fraction of the mass of the Sun. As it absorbs matter, its core compresses, becomes hotter, and eventually begins nuclear fusion, forming a star.
Space Telescope Science Institute / NASA
The coldest ice ever measured
The last image released by NASA before the first anniversary shows a molecular cloud, where stars and planets are born, with icy ingredients.
The telescope shows the frozen shape of the elements, including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur.
This image from the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows the central region of the dark molecular cloud Chamaeleon I, located 630 light-years away.
Space Telescope Science Institute/NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and McClure
NASA wrote in a Share on social media Jan 23. “This molecular cloud is so cold and dark that different particles froze onto the dust grains within. Webb’s data proves for the first time that molecules more complex than methanol can form in the icy depths of these clouds before stars are born.”
>’ Max Zahn contributed to this report.