The James Webb Space Telescope above still blows minds
The James Webb Space Telescope has spent more than a year delving into the universe. Perched a million miles from Earth, it is constantly gathering data from the edge of the universe and sending back the most detailed images of space.
Launched from Earth on December 25, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the largest and most advanced space telescope ever built. Its mirrors can collect 6.5 times as much light as the Hubble Space Telescope (Hubble is still doing very well after more than 30 years in space). Unlike Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope can also detect fainter energy by seeing in infrared wavelengths, which is light that is invisible to the eye.
Here’s a look at some of the amazing photos that were recently released.
Ring Nebula
The Ring Nebula is a summertime treat that can be found in the night sky with a backyard telescope. Through a larger telescope, it looks like a gray bubble or dusty smoke ring. But the James Webb Space Telescope has just released an image of the Ring Nebula like we’ve never seen it before.
The Ring Nebula, located about 2,200 light-years from Earth, is also called M57 and is a planetary nebula. One of the stars in the center of the image has formed this complete ring of gases. The shape forms when a star runs out of fuel and is unable to hold itself together. The outer envelopes of a star expand out into space as the star transforms into a white dwarf.
The Ring Nebula is an insight into what might happen to our Sun at the end of its life – in 4 to 5 billion years.
Whirlpool Galaxy
When you see old photos of the Whirlpool Galaxy (also called M51), it appears as if a giant swirl of stars is engulfing a smaller companion galaxy. But this new image plunges us deep into the galactic core in unprecedented detail.
The Whirlpool Galaxy is located about 27 million light-years away and contains hundreds of billions of stars. The stars are spread out in a pinwheel shape, and most of them gather around a black hole at the core.
The images combine data from different wavelengths of light to reveal large regions of star formation dotted between the spiral arms. The James Webb Space Telescope can peer through some of the dusty regions in this galaxy that have obscured previous images. You can actually see distant stars through the black, bubble-like windows, which gives the image a 3D effect.
Saturn and Titan
It may not be able to match close-up images taken by the Cassini spacecraft, but the James Webb Space Telescope just took an intimate look at the ringed planet Saturn as well as its largest moon, Titan.
Saturn is about 900 million miles away, and the James Webb Space Telescope has been able to capture details in the rings as well as the storms that rage on the planet’s surface. Many of Saturn’s moons are scattered around the rings.
In another image, the James Webb Space Telescope revealed the full side of Titan. Usually obscured by a thick atmosphere, the James Webb Space Telescope was able to penetrate the cloud tops of Titan to reveal surface features such as the Kraken Mare, a sea of liquid methane.
You can see Saturn in the night sky until the end of the year. To the naked eye, it appears as a bright yellow star in the southeastern sky after dark. But when you look at Saturn through a telescope, you can see the planet’s disk, its amazing rings, and even Titan hanging nearby. It won’t look as good as a James Webb Space Telescope image, but try to see Saturn for yourself this season.
Dean Rigas is an astronomy educator and author of six books including 1000 Facts About Space and How to Teach Adults About Pluto. He can be reached at www.astrodean.com.
