NASA on Tuesday began releasing the next wave of images from the James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful observatory ever placed in orbit.
The James Webb Space Telescope is a collaboration between @NASA, @ESA & @CSA_ASC. The @SpaceTelescope Science Institute is the science & mission operations center for Webb.
Tune in tomorrow at 10:30 am ET (14:30 UTC) as we continue to #UnfoldTheUniverse! https://t.co/GBtitBUMoR pic.twitter.com/Qg8Q54l5Yv
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 11, 2022
Compare Webb’s Mid-Infrared (L) & Near-Infrared (R) views. Lens flares? Nope, the spikes you see are when light from bright objects like stars is bent by the edges of the telescope. They’re less prominent in mid-infrared.
More on diffraction spikes: https://t.co/9uT2kIZP8o pic.twitter.com/sp9DgxHfS8
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 12, 2022
Some stars go out with a bang. In these images of the Southern Ring planetary nebula, @NASAWebb shows a dying star cloaked by dust and layers of light. Explore this star's final performance at https://t.co/63zxpNDi4I #UnfoldTheUniverse. pic.twitter.com/dfzrpvrewQ
— NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022
“This morning, folks across this planet are going to see the images captured by this telescope, and every image is a new discovery,” said NASA administrator Bill Nelson.