8 minute read
First Galactic Glimpses from JSWT
By Jodie Sims
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As the JWST flexes its photon gathering muscles for the first time we are seeing a steady stream of new higher definition colour images than ever collected before, coupled with some early exciting discoveries as tantalising data collection starts to filter through.
At 14:30 (UTC) on Tuesday 12th July 2022, to much fanfare across the globe the first images selected by the teams at NASA, ESA, CSA, and the Space Telescope Institute were ready to present to the world. Broadcasted from the Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt Maryland, this event truly heralded in a new age for astronomy.
As a taste of what was to come the first image was released earlier in the day by the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden. This spectacular image shows the same deep space wide field image famously captured by the Hubble Space Telescope with data collected between 2003 and 2004. This image was captured by the Near- Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and shows the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723. The image shows us a tiny slice of our universe approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length. The image contains thousands of galaxies including some of the faintest objects every observed. It is a composite of many images collected over 12.5 hours and shows SMACS 0723 as it would have appeared 4.6 billion years ago. However, thanks to gravitational lensing distorting the light and magnifying distant galaxies Webb can collect the faint infrared light from more than 13 billion years ago, showcasing never seen galaxies that were formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, giving us the deepest view of the universe seen to date.
The second image to be released of the 12th of July enabled spectroscopic atmosphere composition data to be taken from of the ‘Hot Gas Giant WASP -96b’ discovered in 2014 over 1150 light years away and 1.2 times the size of Jupiter orbiting
By Jodie Sims
similar star to our sun. This image helps to illustrate just one of the JWST’s capabilities which is to collect transmission spectrum data using the Near- Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) to study the atmospheres of exoplanets. The first exoplanet wasn’t discovered until 1995 and to date we have found 5,000, of which this technology can be used to look for potential signs of life through the study of chemical atmospheric compositions. The data from the starlight blocked by the planet’s atmosphere is collected by this instrument as the planet passes by its parent star. The spectra of light can then be split out into much like a barcode enabling scientists to decode the lines in the spectra to correlated with known spectra blocked and emitted by certain elements known to us on earth helping us to build up a picture of what condition might be like on other planets. The information gathered over 6.4 hours shows that WASP-96b shows the chemical signatures of water and potential clouds within its atmosphere.
The next image to be released was of Stephan’s Quintet taken by MIRI and NIRCam. This grouping of five galaxies in the constellation of Pegasus shows one of the most compact galaxy groupings ever discovered. This grouping was first discovered in 1877 by Edouard Stephan at the Marseille Observatory and is located over 290 million light-years away. This image gives astronomers an incredibly clear image of galactic mergers and interactions between galaxies situated in close proximity to one another. Only 4 of the galaxies are actually close together and interacting. The fifth and lowest galaxy NGC7320 is only 40 million light-years from earth. Incredibly this image also shows outflows from galaxies potentially driven by black holes. The image released is a huge mosaic and is one of the largest images from the JWST to be released to date. It contains over 150 million pixels and is comprised of almost 1,000 separate image files. This high-resolution image tells a story of galactic cannibalism and sets the stage for the study of star forming regions within other galaxies, huge shock waves caused by colliding galaxies and the growth rate of supermassive black holes.
The fourth image shows us in beautiful detail the death of a star. This mesmerising image of the Southern Ring planetary nebula 2,500 light years away shows bubbles of super-hot gasses and dust interacting with one another spreading elements out into the universe. Details previously hidden from view shrouded by dust show processes that occurred during the late stage of this star’s life during helium fusion phase and a second star within the nebula can be seen. Scientists will be able to measure the rings of gas and dust to study the processes that occur during the death of a star with the inner rings being the most recent to form. This image also shows incidentally captured background galaxies.
The fifth and final image released on July 12th is of the Carina Nebula, a star forming region within the Milky Way. The image shows incredible detail of stars forming within the nebula. These details have previously been covered by dust however the capabilities of the JWST can see through this dust in high resolution. The Carina nebula is so large it would take years for the JWST to complete a full image, so this image focuses in on a small part of the nebula know as NGC 3324 a star forming zone know as the cosmic cliffs.
Subsequently in August a stunning composite image of the Cartwheel galaxy was released showing the aftermath of yet another cosmic collision. The Cartwheel galaxy is found 500 million light years away in the Sculptor constellation. This wagon wheel shape galaxy is the result of a collision between a large spiral galaxy and a smaller galaxy creating a shock wave destroying its original spiral structure. This galaxy is now comprised of two rings. These rings expand outwards from the centre of the collision giving this galaxy a less common ring structure. This galaxy has been imaged by other telescopes but again with the JWST we can see higher resolution through the cosmic dust to reveal new features. The NIRCam looks in the near infrared range of 0.6-5 microns revealing more stars than see in the visible light spectrum. Shown as blue dots, pockets of star formation can be seen. Details show in red from the Mid -Infrared instrument (MIRI) show regions rich in hydrocarbons and silicate dust building up the spokes of the galaxy’s skeleton. This unsurpassed level of detail is crucial for scientists to continue building on current theories of stellar dynamics and galaxy formation.
Finally closer to home in our own solar system the sharpest most breathtaking image of Jupiter’s ring system, Storms and Aroura was released. Captured by NIRCam on the 27th July the astonishing image shows arouras around the poles in brilliant resolution. Delicate wispy rings can be seen including Adrastea one of the many moons along with Amalthea further out to the left of the image. Other details include light diffracted from the Aurora in never seen before clarity.
Thanks to the engineering ingenuity of the JWST team we can keep unfolding the universe. Igniting the passions of scientists and astronomer to explore deeper into the unknown than ever before and to keep building on the story of cosmological evolution and its origins for us all to admire!
1. The NIRSpec Transit Light Curves from the Hot Gas Giant Exoplanet WASP-39 b (NASA, ESA, CSA, and L. Hustak (STScI). Science: The JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Team). 2. The galaxies in Stephan’s Quintet appear as purple-pink swirls against the blackness of space in this JWST image; some foreground stars appear with diffraction spikes from the telescope’s mirrors; numerous other galaxies and stars bespangle the image (NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI). 3. The Southern Ring Nebula viewed by the James Webb Telescope in near-infrared light (NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI). 4. An undulating, translucent star-forming region in the Carina Nebula is shown in this Webb image, hued in ambers and blues; foreground stars with diffraction spikes can be seen, as can a speckling of background points of light through the cloudy nebula (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI). 5. A large pink, speckled galaxy resembling a wheel with with a small, inner oval, with dusty blue in between on the right, with two smaller spiral galaxies about the same size to the left against a black background (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI). 6. The images highlight Jupiter’s features in a way never seen before. (NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Ricardo Hueso (UPV/EHU) and Judy Schmidt.)
The Milky Way
From the Central Wheatbelt
Image Credit & Copyright: Roger Groom
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