Nebula of red gas, glowing dust: NASA releases stunning image of star birth

class=”sc-29f61514-0 fQbOYE”>

Nebula of red gas and glowing dust streaming into the cosmos: On the first anniversary of the scientific work of the James Webb telescope, built with the participation of Germany, the US space agency Nasa released a stunning new image Wednesday. It has the Rho Ophiuchi cloud, the closest star-forming region to Earth. A sharp shot was possible from a distance of 390 light years.

The Webb telescope image shows about 50 young stars. Similar in mass or less than our sun. Some show the characteristic shadows of extrastellar disks – a sign that planets may form around them. Large jets of hydrogen can also be seen in parts of the image. Glowing dust is visible in the middle of the picture.

“The beginning of another star’s story”

The Webb telescope’s image of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud “allows us to see with new clarity a very short period in a star’s life cycle,” said Klaus Pontoppidan of James Webb Telescope’s Science Program. “Our sun went through a similar phase a long time ago, and now we have the technology to see the beginning of another star’s story.”

The James Webb Telescope uses infrared technology to penetrate cosmic dust clouds and capture light from the first stars. At the heart of the Webb telescope is a six-and-a-half meter diameter concave mirror. The telescope, which was also built with the participation of Germany, was launched in December 2021 after decades of preparation. It is now more than a million kilometers from Earth.

James Webb telescope provides the sharpest images

“In just one year, the James Webb Telescope has changed the way humanity sees the cosmos, by looking into the dust clouds for the first time and seeing light from the far reaches of the universe,” said NASA CEO Bill Nelson (80). “Each new image is a new discovery that allows scientists around the world to ask and answer questions they never dared to imagine.”

The first color image of the telescope was presented at a presentation by US President Joe Biden (80) on July 11, 2022. According to NASA, it was the sharpest image of the early universe. The galaxies shown were formed more than 13 billion years ago and thus relatively shortly after the Big Bang. Other impressive images have since been released, such as those from Jupiter. (AFP)

Source :Blick