Text/Reporter Li Yan
There has been a new breakthrough in human exploration of the universe! The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently released the first full-color images captured by the James Webb Telescope (JWST), revealing to the world the deepest and clearer images of the mysterious universe.
The first observations from the James Webb Space Telescope cover various stages in the evolution of the universe. From exoplanets (planets outside our solar system), to the most distant early universe ever observable, the dazzling images are breathtaking.
The original universe
A full-color photo of galaxies called “Webb’s First Deep Field” is the deepest exploration of the universe by human beings so far, and the farthest galaxy image from the earth so far.
The photo shows the “SMACS 0723” galaxy cluster in the constellation Volans. The actual distance from the earth is “only” 4.6 billion light-years. However, due to its huge mass, gravity distorts the path of light and distorts the path of more distant objects. The light is magnified, like a lens, allowing the Webb telescope to capture the glow of more distant galaxies 13 billion years ago. This situation is called “gravitational lensing”.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said SMACS 0723’s image of a galaxy cluster, with fainter blips in the background, dates back 13 billion years and is considered the “Big Bang” at the origin of the universe (Big Bang) 13.8 billion years ago, in other words, this faint point of light is quite close to the time of the Big Bang. In other words, the galaxies in this photo almost go back to the beginning of the universe, which is the oldest record of the universe made by humans so far.
NASA has released more images from the Webb Space Telescope, and Bill Nelson said: “Each one gives us a look at the universe like we’ve never seen it before.” He also quotes astronomer Carl Sagan, “Somewhere, there’s something incredible just waiting to be learned.”
US President Biden also praised the James Webb Space Telescope as “one of the great engineering achievements of mankind”, which also announced the opening of a new era of astronomical exploration.
Carina Nebula (Carina Nebula）
This “mountain” and “valley” dotted with sparkling stars is actually the edge of a young star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. It looks like a “cosmic cliff” about 7,600 light-years away.
The Carina Nebula that attracts most people’s attention is a huge nebula composed of dust and gas. It is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky. Among the celestial bodies composed of huge gas and dust clouds, it can also be regarded as a star breeding area. NASA Also praised, “a rare early, fast-forming star.”
Stephen’s Quintet (Stephan’s Quintet）
Located in the constellation Pegasus, 290 million light-years away from Earth, it was first discovered in 1877 and was the first dense galaxy group discovered in history. This is the largest image Webb has ever taken, at more than 150 million pixels.
Stephen’s Quintet. (NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI)Four of the interacting galaxies seem to dance in the universe. This group of galaxies has been photographed by the “Hubble” space telescope before, but the infrared sensing ability of the Webb space telescope allows scientists to view from a rare perspective, unprecedented In detail, we can observe how interacting galaxies trigger star formation with each other, and how the gas in the galaxies is disturbed.
Southern Ring Nebula (Southern Ring Nebula）
People suffer from birth, old age, sickness and death, and the same goes for stars. Contrasting images taken by the Webb Space Telescope in different intensities of infrared light allow astronomers to study how gas and dust are emitted after a star dies, exploring the molecules around it.
The Webb Space Telescope uses (left) near-infrared and (right) mid-infrared images of the Southern Ring Nebula. (NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI)About 2,000 light-years from Earth, the Southern Ring Nebula is a huge and expanding globular nebula of gas and dust that also contains dying stars. The Webb Space Telescope can observe dust and gas crusts thrown from old stars that could be the material for potential future stars or planets. “Webb brings new details that will change our understanding of how stars evolve and affect their environments,” NASA said.
Exoplanet Spectroscopy
The Webb Space Telescope’s study of the gas giant planet WASP-96b is the most detailed exoplanet spectrum to date. The white dots in the picture are the spectral information Webb obtained when he actually observed WASP-96b. The blue line is the theoretical model that astronomers believe best fits the observational data. “With a distinct water signature in the atmosphere, as well as evidence of clouds and fog, this fluffy, hot gas giant orbits a distant sun-like star,” NASA said.
Atmospheric spectrum of WASP-96b. (NASA, ESA, CSA and STSCI)Discovered in 2014, WASP-96b is located 1,150 light-years from Earth. It is half the mass of Jupiter and orbits its star every 3-4 days.
The origin of the Webb telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope is a new generation of flagship infrared space telescope jointly developed by the United States, Europe and the Canadian Space Agency with a cost of 10 billion US dollars. It is also the dream of countless astronomers and can help mankind solve many unsolved astronomical puzzles. weapon.
It was originally planned to cost $500 million and was launched in 2007. However, due to various reasons, the plan was severely overrun, and the launch time was delayed several times. It was not until the end of last year that it was finally launched from the French Guiana launch center with an Aryan 5 carrier rocket.
The Webb Space Telescope is seen as the successor to the famous Hubble Space Telescope, and this collection of space images also marks the official launch of its scientific operations. “I’m very excited and relieved,” said Dr. John Mather, NASA’s senior project scientist for the mission. “It was quite difficult and took a long time. It’s hard to express how hard it was, but we done”. ◇