Breathtaking Photographs from Space!

Wow! These spectacular photographs were in the July 12, 2022 New York Times Science Times newsletter. The last two are my favorites so far.

The Carina Nebula, showing the earliest stages of star formation.NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

The Big Reveal

On Tuesday, NASA unveiled the first set of scientific observations by the James Webb Space Telescope. (On Monday evening, President Biden got to show off one of the images, of a “deep field” that included some of the farthest galaxies ever seen.)

Stephan’s Quintet, showing five galaxies, four of which interact, colliding into each other and pulling and stretching each others’ gravity.NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

The Webb telescope’s image of the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 includes thousands of galaxies, including the faintest objects ever observed in infrared. The light from SMACS 0723 in this image is 4.6 billion years old.NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

Webb’s first image of the Southern Ring nebula, a dying star expelling gas and dust, in orbit with a younger star.NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

July 12, 2022