Despite the delays, budget problems, threats of cancellation, technical doubts and last-minute scares, the James Webb Space Telescope is already in its optimal position, ready to begin its extraordinary mission. With official events at the White House and live streams, NASA and ESA have shared a selection of five images captured by the telescope, including the oldest and most detailed of our universe to date.
And one day, the James Webb Telescope said to the universe: 'Smile'. From President Biden to Google's doodle, everyone celebrates the initial phase of this fabulous project. Logically, the official presentation was not free of incidents (NASA's livestream was 'problematic', so to speak), but it was worth it in the end. The first images of James Webb are already among us, and its adventure began with this picture:
Webb's First Deep Field
Webb's First Deep Field is the telescope's first operational image, and shows us the galactic cluster SMACS 0723. It is the oldest and highest-resolution image we have obtained of the deep universe so far, and the first in false color from the telescope. The composition was generated with images captured under different wavelengths, and we can appreciate the cluster's mass forming a gravitational lensing effect. The portion of sky observed is equivalent to a grain of sand held by a person with their arm extended on Earth.
Atmospheric composition of WASP-96b
WASP-96b is an exoplanet orbiting the star WASP-96, a gas giant with half the mass of Jupiter, located about 1,150 light-years from Earth. The James Webb Telescope can detect the presence of gas molecules based on small brightness variations in specific colors of light, and its reading of WASP-96b is the most detailed of its kind thus far. The result clearly indicates water vapor... but it is water vapor 1,150 light-years away.
Southern Ring Nebula
Also known as NGC 3132, this nebula is one of the most studied, and is located 2,000-2,500 light-years away. The image on the left was captured with the NIRCam module (Near-Infrared Camera), while on the right we have the result of the MIRI module (Mid-Infrared Instrument), which confirms a new detail: The second star of the central configuration is covered in dust. The overall result shows us one of the most spectacular examples of stellar death. As NASA says, some stars save the best for last.
Stephan's Quintet
The new image of Stephan's Quintet can only be described as massive: we are looking at a reconstruction made with almost a thousand separate images, the largest mosaic made by the telescope (for now). We have been observing this group for over 120 years, but the detail that Webb brings to the table is unprecedented, with regions of millions of young stars, and huge tails of dust and gas pulled from the galaxies by gravitational interaction.
Carina Nebula
Some of our readers may know it as the Carina Nebula or NGC 3372. NASA identifies this region of 'valleys' and 'mountains' with the designation NGC 3324, 'The Cosmic Cliffs', and reveals for the first time previously invisible regions of star formation. The image seems three-dimensional at times, and each of the 'peaks' measures approximately seven light-years. The 'caverns' are the product of ultraviolet radiation and winds from young stars.
Official announcement: Click here
