NASA released the first in a series of images taken by the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on Monday.
The new image provided an unprecedented look into the deepest space – and was a stunning improvement over similar images taken by its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.
JWST was launched on December 25, 2021. It is six times larger and 100 times more powerful than Hubble, which was launched 32 years ago in 1990.
The image released Monday shows a vast expanse, and JWST has much more detail than Hubble.
It was captured with near-infrared sensors that capture a different spectrum than a regular camera. In addition to getting better results than Hubble, JWST runs faster. Hubble took weeks to scan its image of deep space, while JWST covered the same area in 12 hours and 30 minutes.
Zooming in makes the comparison even clearer. The images below compare Hubble and JWST images of a galaxy cluster called SMACs 0723 as it appeared about 4.6 billion years ago.
The huge time frame is a consequence of how far it takes light to travel from deep space to telescopes orbiting Earth.
Hubble Space Telescope image is on the left, JWST is on the right. NASA/STScI; NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI Hubble Space Telescope image is left, JWST is right. NASA/STScI; NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI Hubble Space Telescope image is left, JWST is right. NASA/STScI; NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI
This region of space is of particular interest to astronomers because the gravitational pull of galaxies distorts the light of more distant galaxies behind them, a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.
Examples of distorted light from galaxies can be seen below:
A lens is visible in this area. The Hubble Space Telescope photo is shown on the left, the JWST photo on the right. NASA/STScI; NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI lenses are visible in this area. The Hubble Space Telescope photo is shown on the left, the JWST photo on the right. NASA/STScI; NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI
Cosmologist Katie Mack explained gravitational lensing in more detail in the video below:
JWST aims to look deeper into deep space than ever before. Its power will help fill a mysterious gap in the universe’s history — the first 400 million years after the big bang, according to Insider’s Morgan McFaul-Johnson.
It will also search for planets outside our solar system that could harbor life.
More images from JWST are expected to be released soon, according to NASA.
The following pictures will look at these areas:
- Carina Nebula: one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, approximately 7,600 light-years away, which is a stellar nursery where stars form.
- WASP-96 b (Spectrum): WASP-96 b is an extrasolar giant planet composed mainly of gas.
- Southern Ring Nebula: An expanding cloud of gas surrounding a dying star approximately 2,000 light-years from Earth.
- Stephan’s Quintet: Located in the constellation Pegasus, this was the first compact galaxy group ever discovered in 1877, about 290 million light years away.
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