Among other things, the telescope was able to detect clear signs of water on a gas planet outside our solar system. Now NASA has published more pictures.
After a first particularly deep and detailed look into space, the US space agency Nasa presented further images from the “James Webb” telescope, which was launched around six months ago. “Each image is a new discovery, and each gives humanity a glimpse of the universe that it has never had before,” said Nasa-CEO Bill Nelson at the ceremonial presentation of the pictures on Tuesday.
The images provide different views and data. Among other things, the telescope found clear signs of water on the gas planet “Wasp-96 b”, located outside our solar system. There are indications of clouds and fog in the atmosphere, said NASA. This observation is the most accurate of its kind to date and demonstrates the telescope’s unprecedented ability to study atmospheres hundreds of light-years away.
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The release of the images marks the official start of scientific work with the largest and most powerful telescope ever launched. The telescope is an “opportunity that comes only once in a lifetime” and will “change our understanding of the universe,” said the head of the European Space Agency (ESA), Joseph Aschbacher. “Beyond science, it is also a symbol of international cooperation.”
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The first image – “the deepest and sharpest infrared view of the Universe recorded to date” – Nasa had already presented on Tuesday night together with US President Joe Biden and his Deputy Kamala Harris. Extremely distant galaxies can be seen on it. Biden spoke of a “historic day”, Harris of an “exciting new chapter in the exploration of our universe”. Biden and Harris were “excited like kids” and asked “a million questions”.
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“James Webb” was launched on December 25 aboard an Ariane launch vehicle from the European space station in Kourou in French Guiana. Scientists hope that the images taken by the telescope will provide insights into the time following the Big Bang around 13.8 billion years ago. The “James Webb” was developed for around 30 years and cost around ten billion dollars (around 8.8 billion euros). It follows the Hubble telescope, which has been in use for more than 30 years.
(APA)
