While the very first photo taken by the James-Webb space telescope has just been unveiled, Internet users have compared it with an image of the same field taken by Hubble. And the difference between the two is amazing!
He is considered the successor ofHubble. Today, the very first image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope has just been unveiled: it shows a region of theUniverse deep, as it was there is 4.6 billion years old ! More specifically, it is thecluster of galaxies Smacs 0723, center, which has been put into light. Being particularly massive, it makes it possible to observe objects located in the background thanks to a gravitational lensing effect: the light coming from behind it is distorted and amplified.
Dubbed “Webb’s First Deep Field”, this infrared image was made using the Nircam instrument. It required an accumulation of nearly 13 hours of break, and corresponds to a composite made from several images taken at different wavelengths.
James Webb vs. Hubble: there is no picture!
But this is not the first time that this cluster of galaxies and the stars behind it have been photographed: Hubble had also captured it, for a study of the first galaxies born during the reionizationI’Relics surveybut the difference between the two images obtained is striking!
HUBBLE vs. JWST: Here’s the difference. Welcome to a new era of astronomy. pic.twitter.com/ATIOhc2mnQ
— Ian Lauer (@ianlauerastro) July 11, 2022
And if we look more closely at certain stars in particular, the level of detail achieved by James-Webb stands out all the more: structures appear for each galaxy.
I add things as I go.. because there are really mind-blowing things. Here a Hubble vs JWST difference, we can see the galaxies better, right?https://t.co/RsHblXreqY
— Eric Lagadec (@EricLagadec) July 12, 2022
However, one would not believe, but it is a tiny region of the Universe which has been photographed. The age of these galaxies located behind Smacs 0723 is not yet known, but they could well be among the very first galaxies, and would then date from 13.8 billion years ago!
This zoom out gives you an idea of the size of the observed field. We observe there a TINY fraction (but written in capitals) of the sky: https://t.co/CfaTghNCWC
— Eric Lagadec (@EricLagadec) July 12, 2022
What make you dizzy! And that’s just the beginning: later in the day, new images will be unveiled, other targets that James-Webb had in sight in recent months. For the occasion, Futura is organizing a live who will follow these brand new revelations live.
Interested in what you just read?