James Webb telescope takes us back to where it all began

The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed the clearest image so far of the early universe, going back 13 billion years.

The first infra-red image of the universe from the James Webb Space Telescope. Picture: AFP

Humanity’s view of the distant cosmos will never be the same.

The James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful to be placed in orbit, has revealed the clearest image so far of the early universe, going back 13 billion years.

The stunning shot released by US space agency NASA on Tuesday is overflowing with thousands of galaxies and features some of the faintest objects ­observed, colourized in blue, ­orange and white tones.

It shows the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, which acts as a gravitational lens, bending light from more distant galaxies ­behind it towards the observatory, in a cosmic magnification effect.

Webb’s primary imager NIRCam – which operates in the near infra-red wavelength spectrum because light from the early universe has been stretched by the time it reaches us – has brought these faint background galaxies into focus.

Webb compiled the composite shot in 12.5 hours, achieving well beyond what its predecessor the Hubble could in weeks.

“Fantastic – galaxies upon galaxies upon galaxies,” said Jonathan Lunine, chair of the astronomy ­department at Cornell University.

“Even though this is by no means the farthest Webb can see, it’s the deepest image ever taken, and shows the power of this remarkable telescope: tremendous sensitivity, a broad range of wavelengths, and sharp image clarity.”  Avi Loeb, a professor of astronomy at Harvard, explained the reddish arcs are the ancient galaxies, while the light coloured circles and ellipses belong to the younger galaxy cluster in the foreground.

He was “thrilled” about the idea of Webb looking even closer to the Big Bang, back 13.8 billion years ago.

The next set of images were to be released on Wednesday morning Australian time, revealing ­details about the atmosphere of faraway planets, “stellar nurseries” where stars form, galaxies locked in a dance of close encounters, and the cloud of gas around a dying star.

Webb has also carried out a spectroscopy – an analysis of light that reveals detailed information – on a gas giant planet called WASP-96 b, which was discovered in 2014.

Nearly 1150 light-years from Earth, WASP-96 b is about half the mass of Jupiter and zips around its star in just 3.4 days.

Launched in December from French Guiana, Webb is orbiting the sun at a distance of 1.6 million kilometres from Earth, in a region of space called the second ­Lagrange point.

Here, it remains in a fixed position relative to the Earth and sun, with minimal fuel required for course corrections.

Webb’s primary mirror is over 6.5m wide and is made up of 18 gold-coated mirror segments. Like a camera held in one’s hand, the structure must remain as stable as possible to achieve the best shots.

NASA estimates Webb has enough propellant for a 20-year life, as it works in concert with the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes to answer fundamental questions about the cosmos.

AFP