The James Webb Telescope has sent the first images of distant galaxies

The James Webb Telescope has demonstrated its great capabilities. It sent us the first photos.

This telescope is primarily intended for the study of distant planets and galaxies. It was jointly developed by the space agencies of the United States, the European Union and Canada.

A Slovenian astrophysicist also participated in the development of one of the instruments on the telescope, Dr. Maruša Bradač.

On Tuesday, the first long-awaited photo was presented by the President of the United States, Joe Biden. The next day they showed the rest.

»The Webb Telescope can observe very distant galaxies, even more than 13 billion light-years away. He sees them as they were when the universe was still very young,« says astrophysicist prof. Dr. Andreja Gomboc.

»It can also see through the clouds of gas and dust that surround stars that are just being born.«

The photo of the »stellar maternity hospital« NGC 3324 is also surprising. It is a huge cloud of dust and gases. In some places it collapses in on itself, and in the process new stars are formed.

The photo is so detailed that researchers can see bubbles, indentations and bursts from newborn stars.

Using special instruments, the telescope also studies the composition of atmospheres on planets that move around other suns. It detects whether there is water and oxygen on them, which we know are absolutely necessary for life on Earth.

Prof. Dr. Andreja Gomboc

Glossary

A telescope is an optical instrument with which we obtain a magnified image of distant objects.

Points to Consider

1. Why do we see such distant galaxies with a lag?
2. What is a galaxy?
3. What does it mean that a constellation is in the southern sky?

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The original version of this article was published on July 14th.

English translation courtesy of JL Flanner, Total Slovenia News, an English language website with news from and about Slovenia.