Unfolding the universe with NASA
Webb has captured the deepest image of the distant universe so far. (Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI)
On December 21 of last year, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was launched in South America. It underwent months of commissioning to prepare for its mission to unfold the mysteries of the universe.
Finally, US President Joe Biden publicly revealed JWST’s very first captured image at the White House on Monday, kicking off its science operations. The image displays only a section of the distant universe, but showcases the deepest known view of galaxies never-before-seen by the human eye.
Shortly after, follow-up images were also revealed by NASA. They included the Southern Ring Nebula, a portion of a young star-forming region, and details of the galaxy group Stephan’s Quintet, which are all available for download on the Webb Space Telescope website.
Seeing the (un)seen universe
These unbelievably high-resolution images of celestial bodies from light-years away are made possible by JWST’s infrared technology, which allows it to provide information that other wavelengths can’t. Despite Webb being called a replacement to Hubble, NASA regards it as the older telescope’s successor, both in its goals and capabilities.
While Hubble has provided a lot of information about space using mostly optical and ultraviolet wavelengths, Webb will now explore infrared wavelengths.
Its mirror is also considerably bigger than that of Hubble’s, which means that it can look further back in time and in greater detail than its predecessor. In its first batch of images alone, Webb’s already captured the birth of stars in the Carina Nebula, which is definitely new and more mind-blowing than ever before.
Rocky beginnings
Webb wasn’t initially planned to be a megaproject. In fact, it even experienced serious mismanagement and delays that prevented it from launching in 2014. Following its restructuring, it fell behind schedule again after struggling to address technical issues in 2018. Now—delays and all—Webb is expected to cost a total of $9.7 billion over 24 years.
However, as it stands—or floats—now, the project has yet to disappoint. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, called the release of Webb’s first images “a singular and historic moment.”
He added, “It took decades of drive and perseverance to get us here, and I am immensely proud of the Webb team. These first images show us how much we can accomplish when we come together behind a shared goal, to solve the cosmic mysteries that connect us all. It’s a stunning glimpse of the insights yet to come.”
To infinity and beyond
Upon the news of the telescope’s discoveries, public figures around the world chimed in with their excitement. Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson and science content creator Hank Green both shared Webb’s first image on their Twitter pages, calling people’s attention to the numerous galaxies contained in the single photo.
Ariana Grande even shared a post featuring the image on her Instagram story, which reads, “all these galaxies and you think god is worrying about whether or not someone is gay.”
Needless to say, the recent events surrounding discoveries around the cosmos can really put things into perspective. While we worry about inflation and whether or not we can fold our peso bills, sometimes it’s nice to be reminded of how small mankind’s place is in the entirety of the universe.
As Evelyn Wang from “Everything Everywhere All At Once” said, “Maybe there is something out there, some new discovery that will make us feel like even smaller pieces of sh**.”
