The James Webb Telescope

On July 12th, 2022, President Joe Biden released the first images taken by the James Webb Telescope to the public. These images are particularly interesting since they capture the farthest parts of the universe taken by any telescope to date. The Webb Telescope is utterly different from its predecessors, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, because of its ability to see galaxies many more lightyears away.

The Webb telescope has shown humanity new stars and galaxies like Stephan’s Quintet, which creates humongous shock waves due to its galaxies breaking through the groups of stars around it and a giant black hole at the top. The science behind these waves created by the impact of such galaxies can potentially tell us about gravity, inertia, or just how components of the universe interact with one another in general. These images are also extremely significant to us as they can help find evidence for climate change on an exoplanet or even find a habitable exoplanet for us human beings to reside in in the future.

The pictures released are rather magnificent and beautiful to the human eye. Seeing the luminous colors around the galaxies and the vast shades of gas and dust in the nebulas really spur a feeling of wonder and astonishment that makes people just want to stare at this jaw-dropping sight for hours. For example, the image of the Carina Nebula displays a vast ocean of navy blue embellished white pearls of stars within its waters. An eerie cloud of mist hovers above the seas, engulfing the translucent water slowly with its every breath. It’s the type of image people would spend a handful of cash for just to glimpse a museum.

These captures of the universe could inspire many and give them hope for what’s to come ahead. Studying such phenomenons of this unknown field we call space can provide us with more information about our origin, and the properties of galaxies and their stars, and further expand our knowledge of the world around us in general.