One year after the JWST’s commissioning, the telescope’s three partner space agencies are celebrating this anniversary by unveiling a spectacular image. This is a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex where about 50 young stars can be observed, all of Sun-like mass or less.
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A year ago, on July 12, 2022, NasaNasa, ESAESA and CSA unveiled the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), ushering in a new era in astronomy. Since then, this observatory has kept all its promises and offered us an unprecedented vision of the Universe. Regardless of the areas of astronomy studied and the instruments used (he has four), the discoveries and scientific advances were numerous and exceeded all expectations.
James-Webb: The first images open a new era in astronomy
An enriched knowledge of the universe
In this first year of use, the JWST has undeniably pushed the frontiers of knowledge by exploring important research areas.
“The JWST has undeniably pushed the frontiers of knowledge”
Through his observations he contributed to our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies, the birth of stars, the properties of exoplanets, exoplanets and their atmospheres, and the first stars and the first black holes in the universe. James-Webb’s spectroscopic instruments played an important role. They have made it possible to reveal detailed information about the composition, movement and history of many objects, thereby opening new avenues for astronomical research.
A region rich in the formation of planetary systems
Today, the telescope’s three partner space agencies unveil the image they have chosen to celebrate this anniversary. This is a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud-cloud complex, home to about 50 young stars, all of Sun-like mass or less. The darker areas correspond to dense regions where protostars are forming in thick cocoons of dust. This image is dominated by blinding jets of red-colored molecular hydrogen, visible horizontally in the top third and vertically on the right side of the image. These jets form when nascent stars first emerge from their dust shells, creating a pair of opposing jets that propagate through space. The star that formed the glowing cavity visible in the lower half of the image is S1. It is the only star in the image that is significantly more massive than the Sun.
James Webb telescope discovers “previously unknown molecules in protoplanetary disks”
Some stars visible in the image show shadows, indicating the presence of protoplanetary disks, protoplanetary disks, or planetary systems in potential formation. Inside, it can be assumed that many planets are forming.