On December 25, 2021, astronomers watched their new product successfully launch into space. And now, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is deployed on a full scale, and is located in deep space, around 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
This past Tuesday, on July 12, 2022, NASA released a few images that were taken from the JWST, which marked the beginning of a new era in the field of science. The telescope had reached its destination in January of 2022, but due to the long unfolding process, the world got to see the captivating images in July.
The mirror of the JWST is too large to fit in any rocket and must be able to fold up. That can only be achieved if it’s segmented instead of a single, uninterrupted surface – it’s a honeycomb array of mirror segments. In order to create sharp images, the individual segments must be in perfect alignment after autonomously unfolding. The images were taken as the 21-foot mirror mounted on the telescope turned towards the stars.
Galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, known as Webb’s First Deep Field as captured by the JWST. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
This image is taken with JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), and it shows the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared some 4.6 billion years ago. Moreover, the image represents a tiny spot of outer space about the size of a grain of sand.
"Cosmic Cliffs" in the Carina Nebula, as captured by the JWST. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
This landscape of cosmic mountains and valleys in the Carina Nebula is known as the “Cosmic Cliffs.” The bubbles, cavities, and jets of newborn stars are made visible through the dust. This was totally impossible when the Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of this region. Images like these will help JWST researchers understand why stars form at specific sizes and masses, and why some regions host more than others.
A micro-meteoroid damaged a mirror of the JWST. Image Credit: NASA
For a massive object like the James Webb Space Telescope, it was quite expected that pieces of cosmic dust would hit its mirrors. Despite that, it was an unwanted shock for NASA to find that one of the mirrors had been damaged by a micro-meteoroid strike in late May – the hit was larger than had been expected. Even though space travel might pose to be a challenge, it is still worth it. NASA is expecting many more discoveries from this telescope, of things that have never been seen or imagined.
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