Webb

Cartwheel Galaxy

The latest from the Webb Telescope:

“NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has peered into the chaos of the Cartwheel Galaxy, revealing new details about star formation and the galaxy’s central black hole. Webb’s powerful infrared gaze produced this detailed image of the Cartwheel and two smaller companion galaxies against a backdrop of many other galaxies. This image provides a new view of how the Cartwheel Galaxy has changed over billions of years.”

https://www.nasa.gov/universe/webb-captures-stellar-gymnastics-in-the-cartwheel-galaxy/

Note: There are 3 versions of the image. The composite from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and the MIRI-only image are shown in the article, and the NIRI-only image is shown below and in this NASA tweet.

Babes in the Woods

Read yet another article this week about new findings on an early-universe galaxy that * shouldn't exist * according to our current scientific understanding, because "something something dark matter something something." At this point, I feel like this is the state of our "understanding" of astrophysics.

We are truly babes in the woods. With blindfolds on, waving around a dime-store metal detector. We know legions more than we ever have in the history of humanity - but imagine what we can know tomorrow.

The Spirals

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning new series of near- and mid-infrared images that depict 19 nearby spiral galaxies in vivid detail.

The achievement provides a level of clarity and detail in the new imagery that offers astronomers unprecedented insights into the structure and dynamics of this group of celestial bodies.

Read much more about these images here: https://thedebrief.org/james-webb-space-telescope-captures-amazing-new-images-of-19-distant-spiral-galaxies/. And download high res versions of your favorite galaxies from the mosaic on Webb’s Flikr page.

Webb's Incredible View of Cassiopeia A

Isn’t this just an astonishing image? We thought we knew Cassiopeia A, but we were wrong.

“Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) view of Cas A displays a very violent explosion at a resolution previously unreachable at these wavelengths. This high-resolution look unveils intricate details of the expanding shell of material slamming into the gas shed by the star before it exploded.” Learn much more about the image and the history of our study of Cas A, go here: https://esawebb.org/news/weic2330/

Webb's Stunning Infrared View of the Crab Nebula

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has gazed at the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. Since the recording of this energetic event in 1054 CE by 11th-century astronomers, the Crab Nebula has continued to draw attention and additional study as scientists seek to understand the conditions, behavior, and after-effects of supernovae through thorough study of the Crab, a relatively nearby example.

Now exquisite, never-before-seen details help unravel the supernova remnant’s puzzling history. For more, go here: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/the-crab-nebula-seen-in-new-light-by-nasas-webb/

Webb's Spectacular View of M51

How incredibly lucky we are to have the Webb telescope in our lives, bringing us incredible images like this one! Damn, I love space.

What is it, besides breathtaking? M51, a nearby spiral galaxy (close enough to spot with binoculars if conditions are right), taken by Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument.

See the article by the always great Phil Plait for all sorts of details on how the image was captured and what it actually shows us: https://badastronomy.substack.com/p/jwsts-view-of-the-magnificently-dusty

Protostar

From Webb’s newest observation:

Herbig-Haro (HH) objects are luminous regions surrounding newborn stars, formed when stellar winds or jets of gas spewing from these newborn stars form shock waves colliding with nearby gas and dust at high speeds. This image of HH 211 from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals an outflow from a Class 0 protostar, an infantile analog of our Sun when it was no more than a few tens of thousands of years old and with a mass only 8% of the present-day Sun (it will eventually grow into a star like the Sun).

The image showcases a series of bow shocks to the southeast (lower-left) and northwest (upper-right) as well as the narrow bipolar jet that powers them. Webb reveals this scene in unprecedented detail — roughly 5 to 10 times higher spatial resolution than any previous images of HH 211. The inner jet is seen to “wiggle” with mirror symmetry on either side of the central protostar. This is in agreement with observations on smaller scales and suggests that the protostar may in fact be an unresolved binary star.

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/nasa-s-webb-snaps-supersonic-outflow-of-young-star

Cassiopeia A

Damn. The wonder of the universe, that a single star can create such powerful beauty.

Webb is having a * stellar * week. A new mid-infrared image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope provides one stunning example. It shows the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), created by a stellar explosion 340 years ago from Earth’s perspective.. Cas A is the youngest known remnant from an exploding, massive star in our galaxy, which makes it a unique opportunity to learn more about how such supernovae occur. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/webb-reveals-never-before-seen-details-in-cassiopeia-a

Originally posted on Twitter.

Webb's Pillars of Creation

Webb has captured a lush, highly detailed landscape of the iconic Pillars of Creation using its near-infrared camera.

For comparison, see Hubble's visible-light view of the Pillars. Hubble's view highlights the presence and thickness of dust around the pillars, while Webb's infrared vision peers through that dust to unveil the stars and protostars within the dust.

Learn more and download here: https://esawebb.org/images/weic2216b/.

Originally posted on Facebook and Twitter.

The Light of Jupiter

Webb slays us once again by turning its infrared camera toward the giant of the solar system. We've got auroras, we've got moons, we've got rings! Most of all, we've got enough ethereal beauty to pang the heart and bring tears to the eyes.

“Webb Telescope Sees Jupiter and Its Auroras in a New Light”: https://www.universetoday.com/157261/webb-telescope-sees-jupiter-and-its-auroras-in-a-new-light/

Originally posted on Facebook.

M74 Grand Design Spiral Galaxy, Courtesy of Webb

M74 Grand Design Spiral Galaxy, 32 million light-years distant, imaged by Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument and processed to draw out *even more detail* by Judy Schmidt. You can check out her awesome Flickr page here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/geckzilla/with/52225196953/

Lots of science detail regarding what Webb is doing here: https://www.universetoday.com/.../heres-m74-like-youve.../.

I'm honestly not sure any of us were truly prepared for the images Webb is going to throw our way. How could we be?

Originally posted on Facebook.

Behold the Power of This Fully Operational Webb Telescope

This first image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail. Thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared – have appeared in Webb’s view for the first time. This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground.

The other images released are as follows:

1. The Cosmic Cliffs of Carina (oh, you lovely, wondrous spectacle of a creation!)

2. Stephen's Quintet

3. Southern Ring Nebula

4. Wasp-96 b atmospheric composition

If I posted all their details here this post would get quite long. But, you can go here: https://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages to download the high-res images and more. Just click on each image, and you’ll be taken to a page full of details about the target, what the image shows and how Webb captured it. Highly recommended!

Originally posted on Facebook, (2).

Webb Images Coming Soon, and They're Tearjerkers

Get the tissues ready on July 12, guys. NASA is ramping up the anticipation of the first real Webb images to 11, and we've still got a week to go!

“NASA scientists say images from the Webb telescope nearly brought them to tears”: https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/06/nasa-teases-extraordinary-images-captured-by-its-webb-telescope/

Originally posted on Facebook.