The James Webb Space Telescope may well be mankind’s greatest feat (so far).
X-ray: NASA/CXC/Penn State Univ./L. Townsley et al.; IR: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/JWST ERO Production TeamReaders like you help support Pocket-lint. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.
The James Webb Space Telescope may well be mankind’s greatest feat (so far). This is a magnificent space telescope that was originally initially designed and planned back in the late 1990s but wasn’t completed and launched until the end of 2021.
Now sitting one million miles beyond Earth’s orbit, the massive telescope is gathering data using its light collection tech which measures 25 square meters and is made up of 18 hexagonal mirrors crafted from gold-plated beryllium.
The idea is to give scientists the ability to study the history of the universe and explore distant worlds and stars that we could not observe before. Now some of the first images have been revealed and the results are staggering.
Before the official (and more exciting) images from the James Webb telescope appeared Nasa released this to show a tease of the future.
The shot shows a part of Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. On the left, you can see an image of the are taken by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope’s Infrared Array Camera. On the right is the same area but taken by the James Webb telescope. The promise here is an unprecedented level of detail from JWST like we’ve never seen before.
Planetary Nebula NGC 3132NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
This is Planetary Nebula NGC 3132, also known as the “Southern Ring Nebula” and is one of the most well-known nebulas.
It’s located around 2,500 light-years away from our home planet and is interesting because the ring you can see is actually the result of dust and gas being expelled from a dying star in the middle of the shot.
The James Webb Telescope has captured this nebula with a new level of detail we’ve not seen before. For comparison, here’s the same region as seen by Hubble in 1998.
Twin dying starsNASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
The Southern Ring Nebula actually has two stars at its heart. The James Webb telescope’s powerful infrared hardware has allowed Nasa to bring the second star into clearer view.
This view of the two dying stars will help scientists analyse the later stages of a star’s life and the impact on the surrounding space as they die.
Nasa says that these nebulae exist for tens of thousands of years so analysing them can result in masses of useful data.
Carina NebulaNASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
Arguably the most impressive of the first image from the James Webb Telescope is this one of the Carina Nebula.
This was captured in infrared light by JWST and shows an area known as NGC 3324 which was previously seen by Hubble.
Now the Nebula can be seen in much more detail and with its hardware, JWST is able to reveal more than can be seen in traditional visible light images.
The colours and shapes seen here are gas and dust clouds and a mass of relentless radiation in the region. The mountains are said to be 7-light years tall.
The James Webb Telescope is able to peer through the gasses to see objects beyond. Giving access to a lot more data about the area and how it has changed over time.
Stephan’s QuintetNASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
Stephan’s Quintet is a group of five galaxies that were first discovered by Édouard Stephan in 1877. At the time this was the first compact galaxy group ever discovered though thanks to modern technology we’re now seeing a lot more of space and close bodies like this.
Now, well over a couple of centuries, after Stephan’s Quintet was first spotted, we’re now seeing the area in more light and with more detail.
This image is also remarkable as it was constructed from 1,000 separate images and combined to result in over 150 million pixels.
With the James Webb Telescope’s technology, Nasa is now able to see never-before-seen details in the region including millions of young stars and starburst regions too.
Scientists can use this to see how galaxies are interacting and evolving over time.
Telescope alignmentNASA/STScI
Although not as impressive as the latest images we still like this one taken during the actual alignment of the telescope.
When deployed, the James Webb Telescope had to travel over a million miles from Earth, then spend six months unfolding its mirrors, calibrating its instruments and aligning.
This image represents a milestone of JWST successfully deploying and testing its imaging capabilities.
The first step in what will hopefully be years, if not decades, of the space telescope examining our universe.
The deepest imageNASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
This incredible image shows the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe so far.
It was taken by James Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera and is constructed from images taken at different wavelengths. Essentially a long exposure and just a taste of things to come.
Interestingly it shows an area of space known as galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 and how it appeared over 4.6 billion years ago. So JWST is essentially looking back in time as well as through space.
Quintet in infraredNASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
This is another view of Stephan’s Quintet taken using the space telescope’s MIRI instrument and with MIRI filters and processing to help differentiate the features of the galaxies.
The red areas show dusty, star-forming regions while the blue show stars or star clusters without dust. The green and yellow show more distant galaxies.
Incredible stuff.
Spiral galaxy NGC 628SINGS (NASA/JPL), PHANGS, @gbrammer
This image of NGC 628 was crafted by Gabriel Brammer, associate professor at the Cosmic Dawn Center in the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Denmark.
It shows a composite view of Spiral galaxy NGC 628 produced by three sets of data at different wavelengths taken by the space telescope’s mid-infrared instrument team.
Brammer explained that “If our eyes could see in these mid-infrared wavelengths, the night sky would look a lot more like this picture, which I think would be spectacular, maybe a little terrifying…”
The oldest galaxy ever observed – GLASS-z13GN-z11 as captured by Hubble | NASA, ESA, P. Oesch (Yale University), G. Brammer (STScI), P. van Dokkum (Yale University), and G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz)
The James Webb telescope has performed plenty of scientific feats since it launched.
Thanks to JWST the team has observed what it says is the oldest galaxy ever observed. GLASS-z13 as it is known, apparently dates back to 300 million years after the big bang.
The previous oldest galaxy was spotted by Hubble back in 2016 and that was dated to 300 million years after the big bang.
The Cartwheel GalaxyNASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
The James Webb Space Telescope has spent some time pointing at the so-called Cartwheel Galaxy. An impressive region located around 500 million light-years away from our home.
The shape of the large Cartwheel Galaxy is said to be the result of a collision between two galaxies. We’re seeing the aftermath of it and scientists will be able to see how that changes over time too.
A supermassive black hole – NGC 7496NASA / ESA / CSA / Judy Schmidt
This is an image of NGC 7496 taken by JWST and enhanced by Judy Schmidt. It shows a galaxy that’s located 24 million light-years away with a super-massive black hole at its centre.
Jupiter in infraredNASA / ESA / CSA / Judy Schmidt
We’ve seen plenty of seriously impressive images of Jupiter over the years.
As well as being used to image distant galaxies, the James Webb Space Telescope is also being used to capture new images of ours.
This is a view of Jupiter in infrared. These sorts of images will help scientists learn more about the planet.
First direct image of a distant exoplanetNASA/ESA/CSA, A Carter (UCSC), the ERS 1386 team, and A. Pagan (STScI)
NASA has shared the James Webb Space Telescope’s first image of an exoplanet outside our own solar system.
Though it’s not the first image of the planet or indeed the first direct image of an exoplanet taken from space (Hubble did that) it is the first of its kind from JWST and promises plenty of data for scientists.
Sadly HIP 65426 b, as it is known, is a gas giant, so it’s not habitable but that doesn’t mean it isn’t interesting. It’s said to be several times bigger than Jupiter and has a temperature of as much as 1,200 degrees C.
Although it might not be the most exciting of images on our list, this multiple-wavelength image does help find out more detail about the giant and future planets.
Tarantula NebulaNASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team
This is the area of space often referred to as the Tarantula Nebula. An interesting region of star formation with plenty of young stars and more.
The James Webb Telescope has managed to reveal new details on this region including distant background galaxies and more detail in the composition of the region.
The Pillars of CreationNASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI).
This latest view of the Pillars of Creation was taken by the James Webb Telescope and shows a much more detailed view of the area than previously seen.
This nebula was originally discovered by Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745 but is perhaps most well-known because of the image originally taken by Hubble Space Telescope.
This latest view of the area was taken by the James Webb Telescope and shows a much more detailed view of the area. You can see a comparison of the view here.
The red areas at the peaks of the pillars show where new stars are forming and the cosmic dust they’re bursting free from as they do so.
The spiral galaxyESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST and PHANGS-HST Teams
This is IC 5332, also known as the spiral galaxy. It’s located 29 million light-years from our home planet and spans an impressive diameter of 66,000 light-years.
Webb’s Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) shows an intriguing view of the galaxy and the tangles of structures that lie within. This data is being used along with images captured by Hubble to analyse this area of space.
NeptuneNASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
It isn’t just distant galaxies and far-off wonders that the James Webb telescope is capturing it’s also things closer to home. This is an image of Neptune. Neptune is the eighth planet from our sun and is seen here in its glory with rings clearly visible. You can also see its moons glowing in the surrounding area too.
Seen brightly shining at the top of this image is Neptune’s moon Triton. It would be easy to mistake this moon for a distant star, but it’s actually so brightly lit because its frozen surface reflects 70 per cent of the sunlight that hits it.
NGC 7469ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus, A. S. Evans
This area of space is very dusty but the James Webb Telescope can peer through that dust using its infrared lens and see what’s going on in the area.
This includes the bright red patches which represent new star formations. The large spikes from the center show just how bright this nebula is because it has caused diffraction via the telescope’s mirrors.
Orion NebulaNASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI-PDRS4ALL ERS TEAM
Here’s an awesome image from the James Webb telescope showing the Orion Nebula. This is a star-forming region of space located 1,350 light years away from our home planet.
Merging galaxiesESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus & A. Evans
Seen at 270 million light years away from us is this area of space which features a pair of galaxies seemingly merging together. According to NASA, this is leading to the creation of new stars at a much faster rate than the Milky Way (20 times faster in fact).
Webb is proving useful here as it can see through the gaseous surroundings to reveal more data about the region than could previously be seen by Hubble.
Globular ClusterNASA, ESA, CSA, A. Pagan (STScI)
This is an image of Messier 92, a Globular Cluster of space that’s 27,000 light-years away. This is a densely packed region of space where there are about 300,000 stars crammed into an area that’s about 100,000 light-years across.
Nasa says that if you were on one of the planets in the middle of this region of space the night sky would be full of stars, thousands of times brighter than the stars in our own sky.
NGC 1433 NASA, ESA, CSA, and J. Lee (NOIRLab)
This is NGC 1433, a barred spiral galaxy that has a striking bright core. With these sorts of images Nasa is able to look in greater detail at the fine structure of these kinds of galaxies. This gives new insight into the processes of star formation and of the galaxies themselves.
Wolf-Rayet 124NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team
In June 2022 the telescope captured this image of a Wolf-Rayet star which is one of the most luminous stars around. This is an impressive star going through a rare phase in its life and providing valuable data to NASA as it does so.
Wolf-Rayet 124 has 30 times the mass of our own Sun and is ejecting more material too. Its that cosmic dust that is proving invaluable in the analysis of this are of space too.
