The NASA Webb Telescope Pictures Are Spectacular
By Liam McKeone
Back in November, NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope. It cost a cool $10 billion to build. This week, the first photos taken by the very expensive camera were released. And they are spectacular.
This is the first photo released on Monday.
👀 Sneak a peek at the deepest & sharpest infrared image of the early universe ever taken — all in a day’s work for the Webb telescope. (Literally, capturing it took less than a day!) This is Webb’s first image released as we begin to #UnfoldTheUniverse: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B pic.twitter.com/Y7ebmQwT7j
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 11, 2022
Pretty awesome. But the good stuff came on Tuesday. Just look at this.
Put a ring on it! 💍
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 12, 2022
Compare views of the Southern Ring nebula and its pair of stars by Webb’s NIRCam (L) & MIRI (R) instruments. The dimmer, dying star is expelling gas and dust that Webb sees through in unprecedented detail: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/yOMMmQcAfA
I mean, come on.
✋🏼 Galactic high five!
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 12, 2022
In Webb’s image of Stephan’s Quintet, we see 5 galaxies, 4 of which interact. (The left galaxy is in the foreground!) Webb will revolutionize our knowledge of star formation & gas interactions in these galaxies: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/b2kH1tSyMs
Galaxies collide in Stephan’s Quintet, pulling and stretching each other in a gravitational dance. In the mid-infrared view here, see how Webb pierces through dust, giving new insight into how interactions like these may have driven galaxy evolution in the early universe. pic.twitter.com/3P15LMCCOH
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 12, 2022
It's so cool!
🌟 A star is born!
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 12, 2022
Behind the curtain of dust and gas in these “Cosmic Cliffs” are previously hidden baby stars, now uncovered by Webb. We know — this is a show-stopper. Just take a second to admire the Carina Nebula in all its glory: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/OiIW2gRnYI
Two cameras are better than one, as seen in this combined view from Webb’s NIRCam & MIRI! In the near-infrared, we see hundreds of stars and background galaxies. Meanwhile, the mid-infrared shows us dusty planet-forming disks (in red and pink) around young stars. pic.twitter.com/yl9vHNAiuB
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 12, 2022
Listen, $10 billion is a lot to spend on anything, but I'll be damned if the Webb Telescope isn't proving its value today. This looks straight out of a sci-fi show with an immense CGI budget.
Officially reconsidering my position about the ocean being scarier than space, because every detailed picture we get of the great beyond is a reminder of just how small we really are.