James Webb Space Telescope begins observations
Posted: 01 Aug 2022, 16:11
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been deployed and calibrated over the past six months since its launch on December 25 last year to ensure its full performance, and on July 12 the first full-color image (a false color image based on infrared observation data) and spectral observation data The first full-color image (a false color image based on infrared observation data) and spectroscopic observation data were released.
SMACS 0723, a galaxy cluster 4.6 billion light-years away in the constellation Tobio, was announced at a press conference by U.S. President Joe Biden on July 11, prior to the other images. SMACS 0723 may be JWST's first deep field image.
In this image, taken by JWST's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) over 12.5 hours at multiple wavelengths, the gravity of SMACS 0723, with its enormous mass, acts as a lens to bend the light, distorting and magnifying the distant galaxies into arcs. The most distant galaxies are about 13.1 billion years old.
Planetary Nebula: The Ring Nebula of the South
The planetary nebula NGC 3132, nicknamed the Ring Nebula of the South, is located approximately 2,500 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Ho.
The "cosmic cliffs" of the Carina Nebula.
In this image, which looks like a canyon, the highest "peak" is about 7 light years high. The image shows the edge of the young star-forming region NGC 3324, located at the northwestern edge of the η Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), 7600 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Lyra. The intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from the young stars born in this star-forming region have carved out gas and dust from the top to the bottom of the image, creating this shape.
The galaxy group "Stefan's Quintet."
The galaxy group "Stephen's Quintet (HCG 92)" in the direction of Pegasus is the largest image taken by JWST so far. It covers about one-fifth of the sky area of the full moon, has more than 150 million pixels, and is a mosaic of about 1,000 image files stitched together.
Four of "Stephen's quintuplets" are actually next to each other (NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B, and NGC 7319) and are about 290 million light-years from Earth; only NGC 7320 (leftmost) is about 40 million light-years away. In any case, it is much closer than distant galaxies, which are billions of light years away, making it a good target for detailed observations and a better understanding of galaxies in general.
For these reasons, the James Webb Space Telescope will be a promising target for future observations.
SMACS 0723, a galaxy cluster 4.6 billion light-years away in the constellation Tobio, was announced at a press conference by U.S. President Joe Biden on July 11, prior to the other images. SMACS 0723 may be JWST's first deep field image.
In this image, taken by JWST's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) over 12.5 hours at multiple wavelengths, the gravity of SMACS 0723, with its enormous mass, acts as a lens to bend the light, distorting and magnifying the distant galaxies into arcs. The most distant galaxies are about 13.1 billion years old.
Planetary Nebula: The Ring Nebula of the South
The planetary nebula NGC 3132, nicknamed the Ring Nebula of the South, is located approximately 2,500 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Ho.
The "cosmic cliffs" of the Carina Nebula.
In this image, which looks like a canyon, the highest "peak" is about 7 light years high. The image shows the edge of the young star-forming region NGC 3324, located at the northwestern edge of the η Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), 7600 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Lyra. The intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from the young stars born in this star-forming region have carved out gas and dust from the top to the bottom of the image, creating this shape.
The galaxy group "Stefan's Quintet."
The galaxy group "Stephen's Quintet (HCG 92)" in the direction of Pegasus is the largest image taken by JWST so far. It covers about one-fifth of the sky area of the full moon, has more than 150 million pixels, and is a mosaic of about 1,000 image files stitched together.
Four of "Stephen's quintuplets" are actually next to each other (NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B, and NGC 7319) and are about 290 million light-years from Earth; only NGC 7320 (leftmost) is about 40 million light-years away. In any case, it is much closer than distant galaxies, which are billions of light years away, making it a good target for detailed observations and a better understanding of galaxies in general.
For these reasons, the James Webb Space Telescope will be a promising target for future observations.