There is only one day left for the publication of the first scientific image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA also announced what it will focus on at the start of its mission.
Although she faced many obstacles even at the design stage, she will most likely encounter them in the end Happy ending. Everything indicates that the instruments of the powerful telescope are unfolding as they should, and astronomers do not hide their excitement in the first images immortalized during its preparation. No wonder the appetite is huge. And they continue to grow.
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The US space agency from time to time heats up the atmosphere around the famous JWST activities. In this case, it’s about publishing a list of potential targets for devices that cost around $10 billion. It contains five different objects: a galaxy cluster, a planetary nebula, an emission nebula, an exoplanet, the relationship between galaxy clusters and the gravitational inversion of the underlying structures. The most important things first.
The Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky. It is about 7,600 light years from Earth. These regions are characterized by intense stellar formation and are thus referred to as stellar nurseries. The Carina Nebula is home to massive stars several times the size of the Sun.
The James Webb Space Telescope is set to present its first scientific image tomorrow
Stephan’s Quintet is a compact group of galaxies that is part of the constellation Pegasus, about 290 million light-years away. It was the first structure of this type known to science – it was discovered in 1877. Four of the five galaxies that make up this body are linked together in a cosmic gravitational dance. Another observing target is WASP-96 b, an exoplanet composed mostly of gas. It is about 1150 light years from Earth. This exoplanet is half the mass of Jupiter and orbits its star every 3.4 days.
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The list also includes the planetary nebula NGC 3132, an expanding gas cloud surrounding a dying star. It is half a light-year in diameter and about 2,000 light-years from Earth. The least “specific” target for observation appears to be SMACS 0723, because in this case it is related to the phenomenon of gravitational lensing using galaxy clusters that enlarge and distort the light of objects behind them. However, one thing is certain: in the near future, the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to show its full potential.
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