NASA's James Webb Telescope captures thousands of galaxies in one picture
In an awe-inspiring moment for space exploration, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has snapped a breathtaking photo featuring thousands of galaxies in one picture. The incredible landscape is a part of the
COSMOS-Webb survey
. It is one of the biggest surveys ever carried out by the telescope. The picture is a profound and dimensional window into the universe that extends for billions of years. It contains everything from star systems close by to distant galaxies created only a short time after the Big Bang. Every element contributes to how the universe has developed. As a result of Webb's strong infrared capabilities, scientists can now observe structures and galaxies that were out of sight before. This new information is assisting researchers to investigate how galaxies evolve, develop, and engage across the long expanse of cosmic history.
James Webb Telescope's image snaps far-away galaxies, stars at different distances
The image showcases a massive field of galaxies located at varying distances, offering astronomers a chance to peer into the past. Since light from distant objects takes billions of years to reach us, looking at far-off galaxies is like looking back in time. Some of the galaxies in this frame existed not long after the Big Bang, providing rare insight into how the universe looked during its earliest stages.
What is COSMOS-Web mission
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
If You Need To Kill Time On Your Computer, This Popular Strategy Game Is A Must
Forge Of Empires
Undo
This is an image from the COSMOS-Web project, the Webb mission's largest near-infrared survey. It is led by Dr. Ghassem Gozaliasl of the University of Helsinki and maps 0.54 square degrees of the sky—over twice the size of three full moons. It is designed to investigate
galaxy formation
, star formation, and dark matter structures over billions of light-years. It occupies more than 250 hours of telescope time and returns data that will be kindling for scientific investigation for years to come.
James Webb Space Telescope unveils hidden universe
Unlike earlier observatories, JWST employs infrared detectors to see through cosmic dust and capture the faint light of distant galaxies. While Hubble and Chandra have offered visible and X-ray information, Webb sees further—uncovering faint, red-shifted galaxies too far away to be seen previously. These galaxies, many of which are little more than spots in the picture, are some of the universe's earliest to have formed.
Galaxy clusters: Cosmic cities in motion
One of the more striking aspects of the image is a glittering gold-hued cluster at the center, symbolising a tight packing of galaxies. The clusters play a key role in understanding galaxy evolution. More than half of all galaxies live in groups or clusters, where gravity interacts in a dramatic way—initiating mergers, gas stripping, and occasionally creating new stars.
What happens when galaxies collide
Within galaxy clusters, the interactions are fierce. Gravity can distort galactic forms, trigger collisions, or even suppress star formation. Ram pressure stripping is a process that strips galaxies traveling through a thick cluster of gas, typically resulting in their aging and evolution. Such dynamic conditions define the destiny of every galaxy and make the cosmic web the elaborate structure it is.
Image colour can tell the age of galaxies
By viewing colors in Webb's image, researchers can make guesses about galaxy age and rates of activity. Younger stars shine with blue light, whereas older stars glow red. Faraway galaxies appear red due to redshift—the cosmic expansion, which stretches light waves. This color coding assists researchers in charting star formation rates and gaining insight into galaxy life cycles.
Pushing the frontiers of discovery
The Webb Telescope's sensitivity to faint infrared light is already sparking new theories of galaxy evolution. Scientists are particularly interested in galaxies from the reionisation epoch, when the first stars reionised hydrogen gas in the universe. Mapping how star mass is tied to halo mass, scientists hope to reveal secrets about stability, structure, and future star formation.
This one picture is more than just a snapshot—it's a rich data set full of history and discovery. The combination of data from Webb, Hubble, Chandra, and more enables astronomers to build detailed timelines of the evolution of the universe. With further analysis, this deep-space image will aid in solving some of astronomy's greatest questions regarding matter, energy, and the destiny of galaxies.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
The summer solstice is here. What to know about the longest day of the year
Representative image Peak sunshine has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere - the summer solstice . Friday is the longest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical summer . It's the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and winter will start. The word "solstice" comes from the Latin words "sol" for sun and "stitium", which can mean "pause" or "stop." The solstice is the end of the sun's annual march higher in the sky, when it makes its longest, highest arc. The bad news for sun lovers: It then starts retreating, and days will get a little shorter every day until late December. People have marked solstices for aeons with celebrations and monuments, including Stonehenge, which was designed to align with the sun's paths at the solstices. But what is happening in the heavens? Here's what to know about the Earth's orbit . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Eat 1 Teaspoon Every Night, See What Happens A Week Later [Video] getfittoday Undo Solstices are when days and nights are at their most extreme. As the Earth travels around the sun, it does so at an angle relative to the sun. For most of the year, the Earth's axis is tilted either toward or away from the sun. That means the sun's warmth and light fall unequally on the northern and southern halves of the planet. The solstices mark the times during the year when this tilt is at its most extreme, and days and nights are at their most unequal. During the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice, the upper half of the Earth is tilted toward the sun, creating the longest day and shortest night of the year. This solstice falls between June 20 and 22. Meanwhile, at the winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is leaning away from the sun, leading to the shortest day and longest night of the year. The winter solstice falls between December 20 and 23. The equinox is when there is an equal amount of day and night. During the equinox, the Earth's axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight. The word equinox comes from two Latin words, meaning equal and night. That's because on the equinox, day and night last almost the same amount of time, though one may get a few extra minutes, depending on where you are on the planet. The Northern Hemisphere's spring, or vernal, equinox typically occurs between March 19 and 21, depending on the year. Its fall, or autumnal, equinox can land between September 21 and 24. On the equator, the sun will be directly overhead at noon. Equinoxes are the only time when both the north and south poles are lit by sunshine at the same time. What's the difference between meteorological and astronomical seasons? These are just two different ways to carve up the year. While astronomical seasons depend on how the Earth moves around the sun, meteorological seasons are defined by the weather. They break down the year into three-month seasons based on annual temperature cycles. By that calendar, spring starts on March 1, summer on June 1, fall on September 1, and winter on December 1.
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Axiom-4 put off again, ISRO decides to recall Group Captains Shukla, Nair
BENGALURU: Two days before the scheduled launch of the much-awaited Axiom-4 (Ax-4) Space Mission on June 22, Axiom Space on Friday announced its indefinite postponement. Axiom Space, which is spearheading the 14-day Ax-4 Space Mission to the International Space Station (ISS) with four astronauts from the US, India, Poland and Hungary, has not given the next launch date. Following this, the Indian Space Research Organisation decided to recall Ax-4 mission pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and reserve crew member Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair. 'NASA has made the decision to stand down from a launch on Sunday, June 22, and will target a new launch date in the coming days. The space agency (NASA) needs additional time to continue evaluating International Space Station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) most segment of the orbital laboratory's Zvezda service module. Because of the space station's interconnected and interdependent systems, NASA wants to ensure the station is ready for additional crew members, and the agency is taking the time necessary to review the data,' an Axiom Space statement read. The $64 million space mission is a multi-agency collaboration, involving Axiom Space, ISRO, NASA and European Space Agency (ESA). 'The (Indian) astronauts will be returning. There are many technical issues that need to be addressed before the mission is launched,' said a senior ISRO scientist. Shukla and Nair are among the four Indian astronauts selected for India's first manned space mission, Gaganyaan, scheduled to be launched some time in 2027. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said the Ax-4 mission delays will have no impact on the Gaganyaan mission, which, he said, is progressing as per schedule.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Nasa spacecraft around the moon photographs the crash site of a Japanese company's lunar lander
This image provided by NASA shows an annotation indicating the impact site for ispace's Resilience lunar lander, seen by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (Picture credit: AP) CAPE CANAVERAL : A Nasa spacecraft around the moon has photographed the crash site of a Japanese company's lunar lander . Nasa released the pictures Friday, two weeks after ispace 's lander slammed into the moon. The images show a dark smudge where the lander, named Resilience, and its mini rover crashed into Mare Frigoris or Sea of Cold, a volcanic region in the moon's far north. A faint halo around the area was formed by the lunar dirt kicked up by the impact. Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the scene last week. The crash was the second failure in two years for Tokyo-based ispace. Company officials plan to hold a news conference next week to explain what doomed the latest mission, launched from Cape Canaveral in January.
