Both the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Hubble Space Telescope have joined forces to snap a galaxy cluster that is situated 4.3 billion years away. Their output is one of the universe's most colorful pictures.
Power Telescope Duo Produces Most Colorful Image of the Universe
The novel image uses data from both the Hubble Space Telescope and the JWST to gather light at various wavelengths. The shot reveals a parade of galaxies and stars inside the huge MACS0416 galaxy cluster. This cluster is situated around 4.3 billion light years away from the Solar System.
The JWST picks up infrared light that humans cannot see, while the Hubble captures visible light. As a result, the panchromatic shot makes colors that aid astronomers in gauging vast distances in the cosmos.
For instance, a galaxy landscape in red and blue is visible surrounding a line of yellow lights that make up the galaxy cluster. The galaxies that are most blue come from the data of Hubble. These bluish galaxies are nearest to the Earth and are the busiest spots for the formation of stars.
On the other hand, their redder counterparts are farther away and dustier. They are the result of the infrared instruments of the JWST that are capable of picking up dust cloud heat signatures.
The image also has concentric circles that curve around the galaxy cluster. These are objects situated far behind that were magnified by the gravitational field of MACS0416. Such gravitational lensing takes place when a massive object in the foreground ends up distorting the objects surrounding it and bending the light of the objects at its back. This results in the magnification of objects.
One of the image's magnified objects is a massive star that has been dubbed Mothra. NASA notes that it was enlarged and magnified by a factor of 4,000 or more.
She comes in colors everywhere Webb and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have brought you one of the most colorful and... Posted by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on Thursday, November 9, 2023
The First of Many Images
Astronomy professor Haojing Yan from the University of Missouri, who also led the study that detailed the results, explains that they are referring to this galaxy cluster as the Christmas Tree Galaxy Cluster due to its immense colors and flickering lights. The study is still on a preprint server and is set to be published in the Astrophysical Journal.
While the shot is unique, it might be the first one more to come. Ever since 2014, the Hubble Space Telescope has been working on imaging the youngest and faintest galaxies ever picked up. The JWST is now offering more insight regarding the early universe.
Astronomy professor Rogier Windhorst from Arizona University explains that the entire picture remains unclear until the data from both telescopes is combined.
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