From our galaxy to the most distant galaxies, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope promises to reveal the universe like never before in the first year of scientists' work. To celebrate the completion of a successful first year, NASA released Webb images of a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Field. Webb's image shows a region with about 50 young stars, all of them the size of the Sun, or larger. The darkest areas are where the dust is still forming protostars. A large bipolar plane of molecular hydrogen, shown in red, dominates the image, appearing linearly in the upper third and vertically to the right. These things happen when a star first emerges from its dusty baby envelope, sending two opposing planes into the sky like a baby first reaching out to Earth. In contrast, the S1 star has created a bright dust cave in the lower half of the image. It is the only star in this image that is larger than the Sun. "Webb's image of Rho Ophiuchi allows us to see a short period of the star's life cycle with new insights. Our own Sun had an experience like this a long time ago, but now we have the technology to see the beginning of the story of another star," said Klaus Pontoppidan, who has served as a Project Webb scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, since before the telescope was launched in its first year. With his first in-depth image, unveiled by President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Nelson living in the White House, Webb has delivered on his promise to show us the world as it was before.
However, Webb revealed more than just distant galaxies in the early universe. "The scientific community that Webb can explore is becoming clear now when we have a full year of data from the targets in space," said Eric Smith, research team leader in the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters and Webb Program Scientist. said. . . "Webb's first year of science not only taught us new things about our universe, but it also revealed that the telescope's power is beyond our expectations, which means that future discoveries will be even more amazing." The astronomy community has spent the past year eagerly reviewing Webb's first public data and getting a feel for how to work with it. Besides beautiful infrared images, what really excites scientists is the spectra of Webb - detailed information that can be obtained from the light from the telescope. The Webb Space Telescope revealed the appearance of some of the most distant galaxies ever observed and discovered the oldest and most distant black hole. They discovered the composition of the planet's atmosphere (or lack of it) in more detail than ever before, and for the first time discovered what kind of atmosphere might exist on a rocky planet. They also revealed the chemical composition of the nursery in the protoplanetary disk, detecting water, carbon-containing particles, and more. Already, Webb's observations have produced hundreds of scientific papers answering long-standing questions and raising new ones to discuss with Webb. Much of Webb's science is also evident in his observations of our most familiar region of space - our own solar system. A ring of gas giants appears in the dark, speckled moon, while Webb shows a distant galaxy. By comparing observations of water and other particles in our universe with those in the disks of other small planetary systems, Webb is helping to piece together clues to our own origins — how the Earth came to be. good for life as we know it. Jane Rigby, Webb Project Principal Scientist, Goddard Space Flight Center said: "With a year of science under our belt, we know very well how powerful this telescope is and has produced a year of data and incredible discoveries. A large sample has been selected for the second year, which builds on everything we have learned so far. Webb's scientific career has only just begun - there is much more to come."
“In just one year, the James Webb Space Telescope has transformed humanity’s view of the cosmos, peering into dust clouds and seeing light from faraway corners of the universe for the very first time. Every new image is a new discovery, empowering scientists around the globe to ask and answer questions they once could never dream of,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Webb is an investment in American innovation but also a scientific feat made possible with NASA’s international partners that share a can-do spirit to push the boundaries of what is known to be possible. Thousands of engineers, scientists, and leaders poured their life’s passion into this mission, and their efforts will continue to improve our understanding of the origins of the universe – and our place in it.”
The new Webb image released today features the nearest star-forming region to us. Its proximity at 390 light-years allows for a highly detailed close-up, with no foreground stars in the intervening space. “On its first anniversary, the James Webb Space Telescope has already delivered upon its promise to unfold the universe, gifting humanity with a breathtaking treasure trove of images and science that will last for decades,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “An engineering marvel built by the world’s leading scientists and engineers, Webb has given us a more intricate understanding of galaxies, stars, and the atmospheres of planets outside of our solar system than ever before, laying the groundwork for NASA to lead the world in a new era of scientific discovery and the search for habitable worlds.”
“Webb’s image of Rho Ophiuchi allows us to witness a very brief period in the stellar lifecycle with new clarity. Our own Sun experienced a phase like this, long ago, and now we have the technology to see the beginning of another’s star’s story,” said Klaus Pontoppidan, who served as Webb project scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, since before the telescope’s launch and through the first year of operations.
“The breadth of science Webb is capable of exploring really becomes clear now, when we have a full year’s worth of data from targets across the sky,” said Eric Smith, associate director for research in the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters and Webb program scientist. “Webb’s first year of science has not only taught us new things about our universe, but it has revealed the capabilities of the telescope to be greater than our expectations, meaning future discoveries will be even more amazing.” The global astronomy community has spent the past year excitedly poring over Webb’s initial public data and getting a feel for how to work with it.
"With a year of science under our belts, we know exactly how powerful this telescope is, and have delivered a year of spectacular data and discoveries,” said Webb Senior Project Scientist Jane Rigby of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. “We've selected an ambitious set of observations for year two — that builds on everything we've learned so far. Webb's science mission is just getting started — there's so much more to come."
