![]() Webb’s First Deep Field, as it’s called, is a composite of images at different wavelengths compiled from the telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera in just 12.5 hours. The deepest, sharpest infrared image ever captured of the distant universe reveals a tableau teeming with thousands of galaxies in the cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. After the shot revealed last night by President Biden, scientists released four more amazing images today, the first of many incredible visuals to come. But finally, more than three decades after its conception and after six months in orbit, the James Webb Space Telescope’s first full-color images are delivering an unprecedented look at our Universe. The wait for Webb wasn't quite that long. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson explained that images like this one, dubbed “Webb’s First Deep Field,” allow us to see the universe as it appeared far in the past-the light captured from these galaxies has been traveling through space for 4.6 billion years. Just a century ago scientists believed there was only one galaxy, but this image reveals thousands-all found in a tiny speck of sky comparable in size to a single grain of sand held on a finger at arm’s length by someone standing on the ground. JWST is being used to study planets in our own solar system, atmospheres of planets in other solar systems, how stars die, how galaxies evolve, and much more, Rigby said.The deepest, sharpest infrared image ever captured of the distant universe was revealed last night-a stunning display of the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 delivered by the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope. "We're just starting to get this flood of papers announcing discoveries," she said. JWST has already proven to be an incredible tool for astronomers, but its biggest discoveries are still yet to come, Rigby said. "We're studying where stars are forming in these lensed galaxies in ways that are just laughably not possible with any other telescope," Rigby said. Furthermore, JWST's instruments allow her to study the material composition of these galaxies through spectroscopy, a technique astronomers commonly use to identify the chemical makeup of objects in space. ![]() Hubble's instruments wouldn't have been able to see through the dust obscuring these galaxies, Rigby said. "Pretty much everything we're doing wasn't possible before this telescope," Rigby said. The "hourglass" of dust and gas clouds is only visible in infrared light, the wavelengths Webb specializes in. Webb captures the image of a protostar, the very beginning of a new star. So when I first saw the data, it was like stepping out of a virtual reality into the real world," said Brant Robertson, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "I've been looking at simulated data, trying to mimic what JWST would see, for many years now. Outside of our own solar system, JWST has also helped astronomers observe the oldest and most distant known galaxies. "Like stepping out of a virtual reality into the real world" "Boom! The ring systems just pop right out, and they're gorgeous," Hammel said. JWST's instruments spotted the rings with unmatched clarity. ![]() The Voyager spacecraft flew past Neptune in 1989, but could only capture the brightest parts of the planet's rings. Prior to JWST, Hammel said, astronomers had never clearly observed Neptune's ring system. Observed here in near-infrared wavelengths, Neptune appears ghostly white instead of blue. This is the clearest view of Neptune's rings in decades, taken by JWST. They all agree JWST is a game changer, and that there's plenty more groundbreaking research still to come. NPR spoke with three astronomers in different disciplines of astronomy about how JWST is advancing research in their area of expertise. The telescope's instruments have allowed it to capture previously unobservable planets, stars and galaxies near and far. The telescope is only five months into its science mission, and it's already transforming astronomy. "I pulled down those data, and just started paging through them, pouring through them. "I downloaded the data, and I'm like, sitting in my pajamas.you know, it's pandemic, we're all working from home," Rigby said. And the first results amazed astronomers. Webb's image reveals countless newly formed stars glistening amongst the columns of gas and dust.Īfter an initial calibration period, the telescope started collecting data. The Pillars of Creation were first photographed by Hubble in 1995.
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