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Photos: James Webb Telescope shows dying star, dancing galaxies

James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope.

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NASA's new telescope shows star death, dancing galaxies
Stephan's Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies captured by the Webb Telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). [NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI via AP]
By AP
Published On 13 Jul 2022

NASA has unveiled a new batch of images from its new powerful space telescope, including a foamy blue and orange shot of a dying star.

The first image from the $10bn James Webb Space Telescope was released on Monday at the White House — a jumble of distant galaxies that went deeper into the cosmos than humanity has ever seen.

The four additional photos released on Tuesday included more cosmic beauty shots.

With one exception, the latest images showed parts of the universe seen by other telescopes. But Webb’s sheer power, distant location off Earth and use of the infrared light spectrum showed them in a new light.

“Every image is a new discovery and each will give humanity a view of the humanity that we’ve never seen before,’’ NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Tuesday, speaking enthusiastically about the images showing “the formation of stars, devouring black holes”.

Webb’s use of the infrared light spectrum allows the telescope to see through the cosmic dust and “see light from faraway light from the corners of the universe”, he said.

“We’ve really changed the understanding of our universe,” said European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher.

The European and Canadian space agencies joined NASA in building the powerful telescope.

NASA's new telescope shows star death, dancing galaxies
The bright star at the centre of NGC 3132, the Southern Ring Nebula, for the first time in near-infrared light. [NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI via AP]
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NASA's new telescope shows star death, dancing galaxies
Galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope is designed to peer back so far that scientists can get a glimpse of the dawn of the universe about 13.7 billion years ago and zoom in on closer cosmic objects, even our own solar system, with sharper focus. [NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI via AP]
NASA's new telescope shows star death, dancing galaxies
Stephan's Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies captured by the Webb Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). This mosaic was constructed from almost 1,000 separate image files, according to NASA. [NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI via AP]
NASA's new telescope shows star death, dancing galaxies
The Southern Ring Nebula for the first time in mid-infrared light. It is a hot, dense white dwarf star, according to NASA. [NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI via AP]
NASA's new telescope shows star death, dancing galaxies
The edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera on the James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals previously obscured areas of star birth, according to NASA. [NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI via AP]
NASA's new telescope shows star death, dancing galaxies
This image released by NASA on Tuesday combined the capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope's two cameras to create a never-before-seen view of a star-forming region in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by the NIRCam and MIRI, this combined image reveals previously invisible areas of star birth. [NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI via AP]
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NASA's new telescope shows star death, dancing galaxies
In this April 13, 2017 photo provided by NASA, technicians lift the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope using a crane at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. The telescope is designed to peer back so far that scientists will get a glimpse of the dawn of the universe about 13.7 billion years ago and zoom in on closer cosmic objects, even our own solar system, with sharper focus. [Laura Betz/NASA via AP]