The European Space Agency (ESA) has released a new video that helps highlight the James Webb’s scope and how it explores our universe. The ESA takes viewers on a journey through space in the video as James Webb zooms in on the Cartwheel galaxy. The final image is a composite creature with data captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).
New video shows James Webb’s remarkable scope as it explores the universe
The Cartwheel Galaxy is located roughly 500 million light-years away from us. That’s a massive distance. As such, having an instrument that can zoom in on such an entity with so much detail is astounding. And that’s exactly what the James Webb has done.
This new video from the ESA isn’t just dazzling. It’s also a great indicator of the James Webb telescope’s scope, and what it’s capable of.
Since the James Webb hit its destination and began testing, we’ve known that I was going to do great things. However, the new space telescope has done even better than NASA expected. So well, that NASA says it’s still performing better than expected even after taking irreparable damage. It’s already captured some of the most iconic images we’ve ever seen, and it’s just getting started.
The Cartwheel Galaxy
Understanding James Webb’s full scope is important because it helps define how impossible images of galaxies like the Cartwheel Galaxy would be without it. Not only is seeing these galaxies inspiring, but it also allows us more insight into these kinds of celestial entities. Other data gathered by Webb has allowed scientists to determine that a planet also had water in its atmosphere.
But the Cartwheel Galaxy is just one of many intriguing pieces of the puzzle that is our universe. This galaxy is currently in a transition phase, so we’re not sure where it will end once the colliding gasses slow and finally settle.
For now, though, it looks like a beautifully designed wagon wheel. And, as James Webb continues to look deeper into the universe, we’ll undoubtedly discover more about galaxies like it.
For now, though, having a better understanding of the James Webb’s scope is going to make the jobs astronomers have to do much easier.
