James Webb's Amazing Discoveries And Images
Never So Far Hey, let me introduce myself. My name is James
Webb and I'm an explorer. I'm here to share with you some of the incredible discoveries
and images I've stumbled across through my travels. From galaxies millions of light years
away, to supernovae that can't be seen by the human eye, I've seen it all! Let me take
you on a journey through the universe and show you the most amazing sights imaginable.
Let's go! Before I start showing you what I have seen
so far, have you seen this little asteroid that photobombed one of my pictures of the
universe? The audacity! It’s the smallest object I was able to see, almost the size
of the Colosseum in Rome! I’ll give the mic back to the narrator and
let him explain to you all my achievements. 1) Deepest infrared view of the universe
to date: The first thing Webb did was to provide astronomers
with the most in-depth and sharpest infrared view of the far-flung universe yet. Its first
deep field, the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, is full of thousands of galaxies, including
the faintest objects ever observed in infrared. The telescope captured this image, which is
approximately the size of a grain of sand held out at arm's length, of an incredibly
small area of the vast universe. The combined mass of the galaxy cluster acts as a magnifying
lens that amplifies more distant galaxies, some of which were seen when the universe
was only a billion years old. This deep field, obtained from images taken from various wavelengths,
took Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) 12.5 hours to take - surpassing the longest
time Hubble Space Telescope took to obtain its deepest field. Suck it Hubble!
Now let’s talk science! This image displays the galaxy cluster SMACS
0723 from 4.6 billion years ago, with many galaxies in front and behind the cluster.
Researchers will be able to break down and analyze Webb's data to learn more about this
cluster. Additionally, Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) also witnessed this field,
observing mid-infrared light. Webb's NIRCam has produced the most detailed
look at galaxies ever seen before, including their faint features like star clusters and
diffused areas. The light coming from these galaxies has been travelling for billions
of years before reaching us and going back to the time of the big bang. The wavelength
of the visible light has been shifted to infrared, which Webb is designed to observe. After analyzing
the data, researchers will be able to gain additional details like the galaxies' mass,
age, origin, and components. The prominent arcs within the field is also
seen. This is because the galaxy cluster's powerful gravitational pull is bending the
light from more distant galaxies behind it, like a magnifying glass distorting an image.
Stars are also witnessed, appearing brighter with noticeable diffraction spikes at shorter
wavelengths. Webb's MIRI image provides a colorful and
vivid image of the dust clouds - essential for star formation and life itself - with
blue galaxies having fewer dust particles, red galaxies being overwhelmed with dust,
and green galaxies having a mix of hydrocarbons and other elements. Very colorful and beautiful,
I am in awe! If this was only Webb’s first picture, can you imagine how great the rest
is going to be? ---
2) The atmosphere of WASP-96 b analyzed by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Using its advanced design, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has recorded the distinct
signature of water and evidence of clouds and haze in the atmosphere of an orbiting
puffy, hot gas giant around a distant star similar to our Sun. This is the most detailed
observation of its kind to date and is a major milestone in the search to identify habitable
planets beyond Earth. This exoplanet, named WASP-96 b, located 1,150
light-years away in the constellation Phoenix, has a mass lower than half of Jupiter's and
is much puffier than any planet in our Solar System. Its temperature is over 1000°F and
it completes an orbital period of just 3½ days around its star.
This combination of factors makes WASP-96 b an ideal target for atmospheric investigation.
On June 21, Webb's Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) captured a
light curve showing the overall dimming of starlight during the transit, and a transmission
spectrum showing the brightness decrement of infrared wavelengths between 0.6 and 2.8
microns. Analysis of the spectrum showed the presence
of water, haze, and clouds, which was unexpected from prior observations. The Webb telescope
was able to detect color differences of a thousandth of a micron and brightness variations
of a few hundred parts per million. This observation demonstrates Webb's extraordinary
capabilities for exoplanet research. In the coming year, its spectroscopy will be used
to survey several dozen planets from rocky worlds to giants, with a quarter of observation
time allocated to exoplanet study. It is now clear that Webb has the power to analyze exoplanet
atmospheres, including those of potentially habitable worlds, with remarkable precision.
--- 3) Southern Ring Nebula
Image.jpeg For the first time, NASA's James Webb Space
Telescope has uncovered that the faint star at the core of this scene is covered in dust,
following the release of gas and dust rings outwards for thousands of years. Webb's two
cameras captured the newest image of NGC 3132, the Southern Ring Nebula, which is 2,500 light-years
away. The unseen before details of the two-star system in a tight orbit, seen in both Webb's
Near-Infrared Camera and Mid-Infrared Instrument. When viewed face-on, the Southern Ring Nebula
appears as shown in this observation. However, if it were rotated to be viewed edge-on, its
three-dimensional shape would be more obvious–two bowls placed at the base, facing away from
one another and joined at the middle by a large opening.
The brighter star, in an early stage of its evolution, is likely to cast off a planetary
nebula eventually. In the left image from NIRCam, both stars can be seen, while the
right image from MIRI reveals dust around the second star for the first time.
As the two stars orbit one another, their brighter companion affects the appearance
of the nebula, causing asymmetrical patterns due to their stirring of the gas and dust.
This information allows astronomers to learn more about the mass-loss history of the stars,
as well as how their orbits are affecting the environment of the nebula. The dust and
molecules released by the stars can travel for billions of years and potentially become
part of a new star or planet, before eventually dispersing into the nearby cosmos.
Data collected with NIRCam show thin beams of light surrounding the planetary nebula.
The starlight from the central stars is visible in places where the gas and dust have gaps,
similar to how sunlight can be seen shining through clouds.
Studying a planetary nebula is like viewing a movie in slow motion, as these phenomena
are visible for tens of thousands of years. Each shell expelled by the star enables researchers
to examine the gas and dust within it in great detail. --- 4) Stephan’s Quintet
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captures Stephan's Quintet, a group of five galaxies,
in a groundbreaking way. Webb's largest image to date, it covers 1/5th the area of the moon
and consists of over 150,000,000 pixels and around 1,000 separate image files. Its infrared
technology and high resolution offer unprecedented views of the galaxy, featuring sparkling star
clusters, starbirth regions and gravitationally-induced tails of stars, gas, and dust. Impressive
shockwaves from one of the galaxies, NGC 7318B, are revealed as it passes through the other
galaxies. This provides insight into how galactic interactions may have driven early galaxy
evolution. Édouard Stephan discovered Stephan's Quintet
in 1877, located in the constellation Pegasus. Although referred to as a “quintet,” only
four of the galaxies are closely clustered together, with the fifth and leftmost galaxy,
called NGC 7320, residing in the foreground. While NGC 7320 is located 40 million light-years
from Earth, the other four galaxies (NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B, and NGC 7319) are almost
290 million light-years away. This proximity provided astronomers the unique opportunity
to study the merging and interactions between galaxies, processes fundamental to all galaxy
evolution and rarely seen in so much detail. For example, star formation can be triggered
in each other, and the gas in these galaxies can be disturbed.
The topmost galaxy in the group – NGC 7319 – is home to an active galactic nucleus,
a supermassive black hole 24 million times the mass of the Sun. Its light energy output
equates to 40 billion Suns. To study this in greater depth, the Near-Infrared Spectrograph
(NIRSpec) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) were employed, with the integral field units
(IFUs) further providing scientists with a “data cube” of the galactic core’s spectral
features. Meanwhile, Webb was also able to resolve individual stars in NGC 7320, as well
as its bright core, in addition to discovering a vast sea of distant background galaxies.
Overall, the data collected by Webb can provide a wealth of valuable insight into the rate
of which supermassive black holes feed and grow, star-forming regions, and emission from
the dust. Together, the five galaxies of Stephan's Quintet make up Hickson Compact Group 92 (HCG
92), which serves as an ideal laboratory for exploring the cosmic dance of merging galaxies.
--- 5) Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula
Using NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope, infrared light has been captured to uncover
previously invisible areas of star birth in a young, star-forming region called NGC 3324
in the Carina Nebula. Appearing as a landscape of craggy "mountains" and "valleys" speckled
with stars, this region is known as the Cosmic Cliffs and the tallest peaks in the image
are around 7 light-years high. The blistering, ultraviolet radiation from
the young stars is eroding away the nebula's wall and creating dramatic pillars above the
glowing gas. Additionally, hot gas and dust stream away from the region due to the relentless
radiation, giving the appearance of "steam" rising from the celestial "mountains".
Webb is able to capture protostellar jets and individual stars completely hidden in
visible-light pictures, as well as address questions that have been difficult to answer
when studying star formation. The data acquired from NGC 3324 will help us to understand what
sparks star formation, what limits it, and the effect of star formation on giant clouds
of gas and dust. Located roughly 7,600 light-years away, NGC
3324 was catalogued in 1826 by James Dunlop and resides in the constellation Carina. The
Carina Nebula, which is where NGC 3324 can be found, contains the Keyhole Nebula and
the active, unstable supergiant star, Eta Carinae.
--- 6) Jupiter and its moon Europa
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has provided stunning new views of Jupiter, including a
look at its iconic Great Red Spot and the surrounding moons, revealing details of our
Solar System in infrared vision. The telescope's NIRCam instrument captured distinct bands
encircling the planet, as well as the vast storm, appearing white due to the processing
of the image. The startlingly clear image captured moons
such as Europa, Thebe and Metis - the latter two of which can be seen to the left of the
Great Red Spot - and even minor details like hazes and Jupiter's thin rings, making the
results a pleasant surprise to scientists. Bryan Holler of the Space Telescope Science
Institute noted, "From the faintest, most distant observable galaxies to planets in
our own cosmic backyard, the James Webb Space Telescope has the full grasp of what it can
observe." The telescope's infrared capabilities provide
a unique opportunity to monitor moons like Europa and Saturn's Enceladus for possible
plumes spewing material, as well as giving scientists a never-before-seen view of Jupiter's
rings. According to Stefanie Milam, Webb’s deputy project scientist at NASA Goddard Space
Flight Center, "It's really exciting to think of the capability and opportunity that we
have for observing these kinds of objects in our solar system." ---
7) GLASS-z11 and GLASS-z13 , the two candidates for the most distant known galaxies
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers examined the gigantic Abell 2744 galaxy cluster,
which was acting as a gravitational lens to distort an image of more remote galaxies.
Rohan Naidu's team from the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics identified two galaxies
— GLASS-z11 and GLASS-z13 — from initial data from the Grism Lens-Amplified Survey
from Space (GLASS). The galaxies have a redshift of 11 and 13 respectively, which indicates
that they existed about 13.4 billion years ago, approximately 400 million and 300 million
years after the Big Bang. Though the redshifts were determined from
the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), a more detailed spectrum analysis employing the Near
Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) will be necessary to confirm them. To the astronomers' surprise,
the two galaxies were found in a 50-square-arcminutes area of the sky. This abundance of luminous
galaxies in the early universe signifies that they are more frequent than previously assumed.
GLASS-z11 and GLASS-z13 are moderately small galaxies today, measuring between 3,000 to
4,500 light-years across and containing around a billion stars each. Nevertheless, they are
large for their time. Additionally, the two galaxies display a spiral disk-like structure,
a phenomenon which contradicts the usual clumpy structure of high-redshift galaxies.
Based on galaxies formation theory, GLASS-z11 and GLASS-z13 have presumably increased in
size and become giant elliptical galaxies over the past 13.4 billion years, and presently
lie about 32 billion light-years from us — too far for any telescope to observe.
--- 8) NGC 628 (the "Phantom Galaxy")
A stunning image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows the intricate details of the
Phantom Galaxy (M74) located in the constellation Pisces. Noted for its grand design spiral
structure, M74 lies almost face-on to Earth, allowing Webb to observe its gas and dust
filaments in the spiral arms that extend outward from its nucleus. The absence of gas in its
core gives a clear view of its nuclear star cluster.
By studying the star formation of this galaxy located 32 million light-years away, the PHANGS
collaboration is using Webb's mid-infrared vision together with Hubble's ultraviolet
and visible capabilities as well as radio images from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter
Array, ALMA, to gain a deeper understanding of M74. The thorough combination of data from
a variety of telescopes across the electromagnetic spectrum provide astronomers with even more
insight than Webb alone can generate. ---
9) Odd Cartwheel galaxy in an unprecedented detail
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has used its powerful infrared capabilities to uncover
new details of the Cartwheel Galaxy. This rare cosmic sight, located 500 million light-years
away, is the result of a collision between two galaxies. The image features two rings
that expand outwards, like ripples in a pond, and reveals a vibrant star formation in the
galaxy's outer ring. Webb's Near-Infrared Camera uncovers many individual stars, as
well as the difference between the smooth distribution of the older star populations
and the clumpy shapes associated with the younger stars. The image paints a vivid new
picture of how the Cartwheel Galaxy has changed over billions of years.
Using MIRI data that appear red in the composite image, Webb sheds light on the finer details
of the dust in the Cartwheel Galaxy. This image shows various hydrocarbons, chemical
compounds, and silicate dust, similar to that found on Earth, present in the form of a series
of spiraling spokes. Previous Hubble observations were able to detect the spokes in 2018, but
the Webb image reveals them with much more clarity. Through this observation, it is clear
that the Cartwheel is evolving, as it was once a normal spiral galaxy like the Milky
Way before its collision. This image helps us understand the past and predict the future
of the galaxy. ---
10) Jupiter and its auroras NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has taken
stunning new images of Jupiter, giving scientists further insights into the planet's inner life.
Scientists helped to process the data into the final images, which show auroras and hazes
swirling around the poles of Jupiter, as well as the Great Red Spot, a storm so large it
could swallow Earth. Jupiter boasts powerful storms, strong winds, dazzling auroras, and
extreme temperatures and pressures, giving it an abundance of activity.
The auroras at the north and south poles of Jupiter are visible in a composite of images
taken by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) of the Webb observatory. To make the infrared
light visible to the human eye, it has been mapped onto the visible spectrum, with redder
colors representing the longest wavelengths and bluer colors representing the shortest
wavelengths. Scientists and citizen scientist Judy Schmidt transformed the data from the
observatory into the images. The standalone view of Jupiter highlights the auroras in
the reddest filter, and depicts the hazes swirling around the poles in yellows and greens,
as well as light from a deeper main cloud in blues.
Scientists have discovered that the Great Red Spot and the equatorial region of Jupiter
have high altitude hazes, while the north of the equator has dark ribbons with little
cloud cover. The white spots and streaks are likely the tops of convective storms condensed
in the high altitude clouds. It is difficult to combine images of Jupiter
into a single view due to its rapid rotation. Scientists must make digital adjustments to
stack the images in order for them to make sense.
--- 11) James Webb (NIR) + Hubble (Optical) combined
picture of pair of galaxies Researchers were able to trace light emitted
by the large elliptical galaxy on the left through the spiral galaxy on the right, thanks
to the combination of data from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA
Hubble Space Telescope. This picture of VV 191 includes near-infrared light from the
Webb, and ultraviolet and visible light from Hubble, and it allowed the researchers to
scrutinize the effects of interstellar dust in the spiral galaxy.
By observing Webb's near-infrared data, we can observe the extended, dusty spiral arms
of the galaxy in greater detail, giving the impression that they are overlapping with
the central bulge of the bright white elliptical galaxy on the left. Even though the two galaxies
are relatively close astronomically, there is no indication of them interacting.
Pay attention to the backdrop! Just like other photographs taken by Webb, this image of VV
191 reveals multiple galaxies located millions of light-years away. For instance, two fuzzy
spiral galaxies can be seen on the upper left side of the ellipsoid galaxy, appearing to
have roughly the same size but showing distinct hues. It’s hypothesized that one could be
immersed in dust while the other is distant, though experts still need to acquire spectra
to ascertain which one is which. ---
12) Star WR 140 surrounded by strange concentric shells In July, the highly anticipated James Webb
Space Telescope (JWST) captured an awe-inspiring image of a distant Wolf-Rayet star, WR140,
that had mysterious concentric rings radiating outward. Shared on Twitter by citizen scientist
Judy Schmidt, the image sparked a flurry of comments and debate about the origin of these
intriguing patterns. Mark McCaughrean of the JWST Science Working Group explored the possibility
that this phenomenon was due to the star's companion star sculpting dust into an odd,
yet regular shape. Ryan Lau, the Principal Investigator of the project, has since submitted
a paper that is soon to be released, exploring more on this topic. Despite the bewilderment
of the image, it serves as a reminder of the power of the $10 billion JWST, the most powerful
observatory sent to space to date, which is renowned for its unique infrared vision.
--- 13) The Pillars of Creation The iconic Pillars of Creation can be seen
in a highly detailed and vibrant landscape captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
These columns of cool interstellar gas and dust, often semi-transparent in near-infrared
light, are the perfect setting for new stars to form. By precisely counting the young stars
that have burst out of the dense gas and dust clouds, researchers are able to investigate
the processes of star formation over millions of years.
These stars, represented by the bright red orbs with diffraction spikes, produce supersonic
jets and shocks that create glowing hydrogen molecules and wavy patterns, visible at the
edges of some pillars. Much of the deeper universe is hidden behind the interstellar
medium, a mix of gas and dust in the densest part of the Milky Way galaxy's disk.
The scene revisited by Hubble in 1995 and 2014, as well as other advanced observatories,
reveals more details about this star-filled region 6,500 light-years away in the Eagle
Nebula. ---
15) WASP-39b Atmosphere Update Observations of WASP-39b with the James Webb
Space Telescope have revealed a detailed chemical composition of the exoplanet's atmosphere,
including the first discovery of a photochemical reaction product. Scientists have identified
the "mystery molecule" as sulfur dioxide, produced through photochemical reactions from
light from the planet's host star, similarly to the formation of ozone in Earth's atmosphere.
The findings indicate a history of smash-ups and mergers of planetesimals, as well as evidence
for patchy clouds in the atmosphere. The data from the four transits of WASP-39b, gathered
from three different instruments on JWST, provides a comprehensive view of the radiation
process between the host star and the planet. ---
16) Planet forming disk of dust surrounding a small young star AU MIC
Observing the red dwarf star AU Microscopii (or AU Mic) in the constellation Microscopium,
located 32 light-years away, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) has provided a
glimpse back into the history of the system. With Webb's highly-sensitive and powerful
infrared instruments, the study's lead author Kellen Lawson of NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center in Maryland was able to directly observe a large and extremely dusty debris disk surrounding
AU Mic. This disk is a remnant of the formation of AU Mic, likely containing planetesimals,
the leftovers of the formation of planets, her team observed at wavelengths of 3.56 and
4.44 microns. The images of the system, approximately 23 million years old have a blue appearance
due to the high amount of fine dust that scatters light at shorter wavelengths. Moreover, the
use of Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera and coronagraph allowed them to trace the disk to within five
astronomical units of the star. The study's primary goal is to search and characterize
gas-giant exoplanets in wide orbits and their results have made it possible to directly
observe these exoplanets around their host star.
--- 17) Webb Spectra Confirm Two Arcs Are the
Same Galaxy (NIRISS Emission Spectra) Let’s go on an intergalactic treasure hunt
with the NASA/ESA Webb Telescope! The near-infrared image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 reveals
a group of massive galaxies below and to the right of the bright central star with numerous
distorted and magnified galaxies. Upon inspection, one arc appears to be composed of two similar-looking
galaxies. Are they the same? Spectra from the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph
(NIRISS) helps researchers answer this. By plotting the spectra from each of the two
galaxies, the graphs match which suggests that the arcs are identical and both were
emitted 9.3 billion years ago. NIRISS' ability to spread out the spectra reveals which lines
match which source. Who knows what discoveries await as researchers use NIRISS to turn every
object's image into spectra? Let us know what your guesses are!
--- 18) Webb Spectra Identify Galaxies in the
Very Early Universe (NIRSpec MSA Emission Spectra)
ADD PHOTO https://cdn.esawebb.org/archives/images/screen/weic2209d.jpg
Using the Near-Infrared Spectrograph's (NIRSpec) microshutter array, the Webb Telescope has
made another incredible discovery, it never stops, does it?. This instrument has over
248,000 small doors, each of which can be opened to measure light from up to 150 separate
objects at once. By looking at the 48 galaxies in the background of the galaxy cluster SMACS
0723, researchers were able to see distant galaxies in the early Universe, estimated
to be 13.8 billion years old. These spectra prove useful in that they show
a pattern of three lines in the same order-- one hydrogen line, followed by two ionized
oxygen lines-- which gives a measure of each galaxy's redshift and, therefore, how long
ago the light was emitted. The farthest galaxy observed was determined to be 13.1 billion
years old, which is believed to be the first time these emission lines were seen at such
a large distance. It is also believed that there may be more distant galaxies hiding
within this image. Using Webb's data, astronomers can pinpoint
the distance, temperature, gas density and chemical composition of each observed galaxy.
On top of that, Webb provides high-resolution near-infrared light information, far from
the filtering of Earth's atmosphere. Comparing these spectra with those of nearer galaxies
observed by both ground- and space-based observatories, scientists can understand how galaxies have
changed over billions of years, beginning at the early Universe. Thank you very much for watching this video!
We hope you enjoyed and learnt something new! Stay tuned for more videos and don’t forget
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