Today, Wednesday, the US space agency (NASA) is releasing a new image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, exactly one year after it released the first images of the universe that stunned the world.

On July 12, 2022, NASA released the first color images of galaxy clusters and nebulae captured by its new space telescope. The snapshots marked the start of scientific operations for the telescope, which is considered a “technical masterpiece” and is located 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.

NASA did not provide any details on what new film will be released during the first anniversary, and indicated that it will broadcast a video review of the first year’s findings. Local operations are also held across the United States.

James Webb has been dazzling astronomers with unprecedentedly accurate images since he began his mission a year ago. It has discovered the most distant galaxy ever discovered, measured the temperature of distant rocky planets for the first time, and observed young stars and black holes. James Webb made a huge difference in our knowledge of the universe, and scientific studies grew based on his observations.

One of the main missions of the James Webb Telescope is to explore the early universe, while also focusing on studying planets outside the solar system. It will also help us better understand the formation and life cycle of stars.

In addition to these achievements, thanks to James Webb, the public has access to amazing images. In October, the first image of the “Pillars of Creation” telescope was revealed. About 6,500 light-years from Earth, the Milky Way in the Eagle Nebula is a large cluster of gas and dust with forming stars.

The James Webb telescope will be launched at the end of 2021 by the Ariane 5 rocket, which was launched by the US space agency more than three decades ago. It succeeds the still-operating Hubble Space Telescope.

James Webb, at $10 billion, is distinguished from its predecessor by its surveillance technology. The Hubble telescope conducts observations in the visible, while James Webb probes the invisible-to-the-naked-eye waves of mid- and near-infrared rays, a beam emitted from every astronomical body, star, person or flower. This allows us to detect very weak lights, and it allows us to see further.

Since this wavelength is invisible to the human eye, the images are then “translated” into visible colors.

It has provided enough fuel for James Webb to continue his work for another 20 years, during which time he hopes to make even more amazing discoveries.

(AFP)