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Science / Space
By Ashley Strickland, CNN
4 minute read
Published 1:46 PM EDT, Fri July 12, 2024
NASA released this image of galaxy Arp 142 on July 12, to mark the two-year anniversary of the James Webb Space Telescope.
This Webb image shows a densely populated spiral galaxy anchored by a central region that has a light blue haze, known NGC 628. It's 32 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces.
In this new image of Uranus, the planet shines shine brightly, along with its many rings and moons.
The James Webb Space Telescope's shot of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A shows elaborate details visible for the first time.
There are approximately 500,000 stars in this image of the Sagittarius C region of the Milky Way. The bright cyan area contains emissions from ionized hydrogen.
Galaxy cluster MACS0416 is seen here in exquisite detail thanks to a composite image created with data from both NASA's James Webb and Hubble space telescopes.
Scientists are hoping to gain more information about the origins of the Crab Nebula, thanks to new details spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope.
This image shows the Ring Nebula in exceptional detail, like the filament elements in the ring's inner section.
Earendel, the most distant star ever discovered, can be seen in this image of the Sunrise Arc galaxy.
The Ring Nebula is seen in breathtaking detail, in a composite image released on August 4.
The James Webb Space Telescope captured a high-resolution image of a pair of actively forming stars called Herbig-Haro 46/47. The stellar duo, only a few thousand years old, is located at the center of the red diffraction spikes.
The James Webb Space Telescope captured a detailed closeup of the birth of sunlike stars in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud, the closest star-forming region located 390 light-years from Earth. The young stars release jets that cause the surrounding gas to glow. The image's release marks the first anniversary of Webb's observations of the cosmos.
Saturn and its moons were captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope June 25. The image shows details of the planet's atmosphere and ring system.
The James Webb Space Telescope captured the Orion Bar, a part of the Orion Nebula that is being eroded by stellar radiation emanating from the Trapezium Cluster.
This composite image, shot from the James Webb Space Telescope's MIRI and NIRCam instruments, shows the bright clusters of stars and dust from barred spiral galaxy NGC 5068.
Webb captured a burst of star formation triggered by two colliding spiral galaxies called Arp 220. The phenomenon is the closest ultra-luminous galactic merger to Earth.
Dusty rings surround Fomalhaut, a young star outside of our solar system that's 25 light-years from Earth.
The Wolf-Rayet star WR 124 was one of the James Webb Space Telescope's first discoveries, spotted in June 2022.
Stunning details can be seen in this Webb telescope photo of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, which is 11,000 light-years from Earth.
Webb's image of ice giant Uranus shows off the planet's incredible rings and a bright haze covering its north polar cap (right). A bright cloud lies at the cap's edge and a second one is seen at left.
The James Webb Space Telescope captured 50,000 sources of near-infrared light in a new image of Pandora's Cluster, a megacluster of galaxies. The cluster acts like a magnifying glass, allowing astronomers to see more distant galaxies behind it.
Stars shine through the hazy material of the Chamaeleon I dark molecular cloud, which is 630 light-years away from Earth.
The James Webb Space Telescope spotted NGC 346, one of the most dynamic star-forming regions near the Milky Way, located in a dwarf galaxy called the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Two galaxies, known as II ZW96, form a swirl shape while merging in the constellation Delphinus.
The James Webb Space Telescope revealed features of a new protostar forming.
The James Webb Space Telescope captured a new perspective of the Pillars of Creation in mid-infrared light. The dust of this star-forming region, rather than the stars themselves, is the highlight, and resembles ghostly figures.
Webb captured a highly detailed snapshot of the so-called Pillars of Creation, a vista of three looming towers made of interstellar dust and gas that's speckled with newly formed stars. The area, which lies within the Eagle Nebula about 6,500 light-years from Earth, had previously been captured by the Hubble Telescope in 1995, creating an image deemed "iconic" by space observers.
The two stars in WR140 produce shells of dust every eight years that look like rings, as captured by the Webb telescope.
The James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope contributed to this image of galactic pair VV 191. Webb observed the brighter elliptical galaxy (left) and spiral galaxy (right) in near-infrared light, and Hubble collected data in visible and ultraviolet light.
The James Webb Space Telescope captured spiral galaxy IC 5332, which is over 29 million light-years away. The observatory's MIRI instrument peered through interstellar dust to see the galaxy's "bones."
Webb captured the clearest view of the Neptune's rings in over 30 years.
The inner region of the Orion Nebula as seen by the telescope's NIRCam instrument. The image reveals intricate details about how stars and planetary systems are formed.
NASA released a mosaic image of the Tarantula Nebula on Tuesday, September 6. The image, which spans 340 light-years, shows tens of thousands of young stars that were previously obscured by cosmic dust.
A new image of the Phantom Galaxy, which is 32 million light-years away from Earth, combines data from the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA released an image of Jupiter on Monday, August 22, that shows the planet's famous Great Red Spot appearing white.
The James Webb Space Telescope captured the Cartwheel galaxy, which is around 500 million light-years away, in a photo released by NASA on August 2.
Webb's landscape-like view, called "Cosmic Cliffs," is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. The telescope's infrared view reveals previously invisible areas of star birth.
The five galaxies of Stephan's Quintet can be seen here in a new light. The galaxies appear to dance with one another, showcasing how these interactions can drive galactic evolution.
This side-by-side comparison shows observations of the Southern Ring Nebula in near-infrared light, left, and mid-infrared light, right, from NASA's Webb telescope. The Southern Ring Nebula is 2,000 light-years away from Earth. This large planetary nebula includes an expanding cloud of gas around a dying star, as well as a secondary star earlier on in its evolution.
President Joe Biden released one of Webb's first images on July 11, and it's "the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date," according to NASA. The image shows SMACS 0723, where a massive group of galaxy clusters act as a magnifying glass for the objects behind them. Called gravitational lensing, this created Webb's first deep field view of incredibly old and distant, faint galaxies.
Observing the universe with the James Webb Space Telescope
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CNN —
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning new view of two galaxies, nicknamed the Penguin and the Egg, locked in a cosmic dance to mark the observatory’s second anniversary.
Launched on December 25, 2021, the Webb telescope shared its first science observations of the universe on July 12, 2022. Since then, the premier observatory has offered unprecedented perspectives of the cosmos across wavelengths of infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye.
Webb’s keen gaze has been able to peer through otherwise obscuring gas and dust to spot distant galaxies, detect molecules in the atmospheres of exoplanets and highlight fine details within the explosions of stars.
“With remarkable images from the corners of the cosmos, going back nearly to the beginning of time, Webb’s capabilities are shedding new light on our celestial surroundings and inspiring future generations of scientists, astronomers, and explorers,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
And now, Webb has used its scientific instruments to create a detailed portrait of the intertwined Penguin and Egg galaxies, collectively called Arp 142, by combining observations in both near-infrared and mid-infrared light. The galaxies, so named because of their resemblanceto a penguin guarding an egg, are 326 million light-years from Earth in the Hydra constellation.
A tale of two galaxies
Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera and Mid-Infrared Instrument reveal a blue haze, representing a mix of stars and gas, that show how the two galaxies are joined. They are about 100,000 light-years apart, which is close, astronomically speaking. For reference, the Milky Way galaxy’s closest neighbor is the Andromeda galaxy 2.5 million light-years away, and those two are expected to collide in about 4 billion years. One light-year, the distance light travels in a year, is 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers).
Astronomers estimate that the Penguin and the Egg galaxies first interacted 25 million to 75 million years ago. Since then, their celestial dance has continued as they loop around each other. Millions of years from now, they will merge into a single galaxy.
The Hubble Space Telescope imaged the galactic duo in 2013 in visible light, seen on the left in the slider below, but Webb’s image captures previously unseen details through infrared.
Arp 142 Hubble Webb NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Initially, the Penguin looked like a spiral, but over time, its appearance has been reshaped through interactions with the Egg galaxy. Now, the center of the galaxy serves as the Penguin’s eye, and its spiral arms have been unwound and resemble a beak, head, backbone and fanning tail.
The dance between the two galaxies has exerted a gravitational tug on parts of the Penguin, causing some of the gas and dust that fills the galaxy to collide and lead to waves of star formation. These stellar nurseries can be seen as feathers in the Penguin’s tail and what resembles a fish in its beak.
Smoky material surrounding the baby stars contains carbon molecules, while the faint orange represents dust. In the background of the image are distant spiral and oval-shaped galaxies.
Meanwhile, the oval-shaped Egg galaxy remains much the same. Full of aging stars, the galaxy contains less gas and dust than the Penguin, so its structure hasn’t been disturbed. And since both galaxies have about the same mass, the Penguin hasn’t overtaken the Egg.
A visualization of the Webb portrait, shared by NASA, enables viewers to “fly” through the new image of the galaxies, seen below.
Astronomers estimate that the Webb telescope will operate for at least 20 years, providing a unique way of studying the universe and solving some of its many mysteries.
“In just two years, Webb has transformed our view of the universe, enabling the kind of world-class science that drove NASA to make this mission a reality,” said Mark Clampin, director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division, in a statement.
“Webb is providing insights into longstanding mysteries about the early universe and ushering in a new era of studying distant worlds, while returning images that inspire people around the world and posing exciting new questions to answer. It has never been more possible to explore every facet of the universe.”
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