The Webb telescope was launched into orbit in December 2021, and began its first official operations about six months later. Costing nearly $10 billion to build, the Webb telescope is approximately 100 times more powerful than the Hubble, and capable of capturing incredibly crisp images of cosmic objects located billions of light-years away. These full-color images are the culmination of NASA's 20-year project to launch a next generation space observatory to succeed the iconic Hubble Space Telescope. The image shows the deepest view of the universe ever captured, revealing light that was emitted 13.5 billion years ago - very near the estimated beginning of the universe, roughly 13.8 billion years ago, according to NASA. On Monday (July 11) President Joe Biden shared the first of Webb's debut images, showing a cluster of galaxies called SMACS 0723. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI) Known as Webb's First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has produced the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. Webb's Deep Field, the deepest image of the universe EVER However, astronomers plan to take spectrum images of many other planets beyond our solar system, advancing the hunt for life beyond our solar system. This image reveals, for example, that there is a good deal of water vapor in WASP-96b's atmosphere.īlazing hot, is unlikely to harbor life. By breaking this spectrum of light down into its component wavelengths, scientists can discern the type and quantity of elements in the planet's atmosphere. That quick orbital period is important, because it allows astronomers to easily study how light from the planet's home star is absorbed and reemitted by molecules in the planet's atmosphere. This mostly gaseous planet measures about half the mass of Jupiter, but orbits so closely to its home star that one year on the planet lasts the equivalent of just 3.4 Earth days. The final image revealed today shows the giant planet WASP-96b, located about 1,150 light-years from Earth. ![]() NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured the distinct signature of water, along with evidence for clouds and haze, in the atmosphere surrounding a hot, puffy gas giant planet orbiting a distant sun-like star. Studying nebulae like this may help scientists better understand the cycles of stellar death and rebirth in the cosmos. ![]() The dust particles being flung into space by the dying star could one day coalesce into the seeds of new stars and planets, Live Science previously reported. As with most Webb images seen so far, clearly visible galaxies photo-bomb the background of the pictures, hinting at untold discoveries yet to come. Scientists knew the Southern Ring Nebula was a binary star system - however, this is the first image clearly revealing the second star, shrouded by clouds of dust. Look closely at the mid-infrared image on the right and you can see a second, redder star twinkling next to the brighter, bluer one. The spectacular image shows a glowing orange foam of molecular hydrogen swirling around a blue haze of ionized gas, bursting out of doomed star at the image's center. Webb's next image shows the Southern Ring Nebula, or "Eight-Burst Nebula" - a figure-eight-shaped cloud of gas and dust expelled by a massive, dying star some 2,500 light-years from Earth. It is approximately 2,500 light-years away from Earth. Two cameras aboard Webb captured the latest image of this planetary nebula, cataloged as NGC 3132, and known informally as the Southern Ring Nebula.
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