From our cosmic backyard in the solar system to distant galaxies near the dawn of time, in its first year of scientific operations, the NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope fulfilled its promise to reveal the universe like never before. To celebrate the completion of a successful first year, NASA released Webb’s image of a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex.

“In just one year, the James Webb Space Telescope has transformed humanity’s view of the cosmos, peering inside clouds of dust and seeing light from the farthest corners of the Earth. universe for the first time. Each new image is a new discovery, allowing scientists around the world to ask and answer questions they never could have dreamed of before.” Bill Nelsonthe NASA administrator.

“Webb is an investment in American innovation, but also a scientific feat made possible thanks to NASA’s international partners [la ESA y la agencia espacial canadiense] who share the spirit of “willing is able” to push the boundaries of what we know is possible. Thousands of engineers, scientists and leaders have dedicated their life’s passion to this mission, and their efforts will continue to advance our understanding of the origins of the universe and our place in it.”

Webb’s new image released this Wednesday features the nearest star forming region We. Its proximity, 390 light-years away, allows for a very detailed close-up, with no prominent stars in intervening space.

“On its first anniversary, the James Webb Space Telescope has already delivered on its promise to reveal the universe, providing humanity with a magnificent treasure trove of images and science that will last for decades,” he said. he declares. Nicola FoxAssociate Administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

“An engineering marvel built by the world’s greatest scientists and engineers, Webb has given us a more complex understanding of the galaxies, stars, and atmospheres of planets outside our solar system than ever before, laying the groundwork for NASA is leading the world into a new era of scientific discovery and the search for habitable worlds,” he added.

Young stars with the mass of the Sun

The Webb image shows a region containing some 50 young stars, all of mass similar to the Sun, or smaller. The darkest regions are the densest, where thick envelopes of dust form protostars.

enormous molecular hydrogen bipolar jetsshown in red, dominate the image, appearing horizontally from side to side in the upper third and vertically on the right side.

These jets occur when a star first bursts through its natal envelope of cosmic dust, shooting a pair of opposing jets out into space like a newborn baby reaching out into the world for the first time.

On the contrary, the star S1 carved out a cave of glowing dust in the lower half of the image. It is the only star in the image that is significantly more massive than the Sun.

“Webb’s image of Rho Ophiuchi allows us to see with new clarity a very short period in the life cycle of stars. Our own Sun went through a phase like this a long time ago, and now we have the technology to see the beginning of another star’s story.” Klaus PontoppidanProject Webb scientist.

This image of Rho Ophiuchi allows us to witness with new clarity a very brief period in the life cycle of stars

Klaus Pontoppidan, Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore

Some stars in the image show telltale shadows that indicate protoplanetary disks: potential future planetary systems in the making.

From In the first deep-field image, revealed by US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Nelson live from the White House, Webb delivered on his promise to show us more of the universe than ever before. However, Webb revealed much more than distant galaxies in the early universe.

“The extent of scientific exploration that Webb is capable of becomes really clear now, when we have a full year of target data across the sky,” he said. Eric Smithresearcher at NASA Astrophysics Division and Webb Program.

“Webb’s first year of science operations not only taught us new things about our universe, but revealed that the telescope’s capabilities are beyond our expectations, which means future discoveries will be even more extraordinary.” .

Webb’s first year of science operations not only taught us new things about our universe, it revealed that the telescope’s capabilities exceed our expectations.

Eric Smith, Division of Astrophysics at NASA Headquarters

The global astronomical community has spent the past year enthusiastically analyzing Webb’s initial public data and better understanding how to use it. Beyond the impressive infrared images, what really got the scientists excited were the Net Webb spectra: the detailed information that can be obtained from light using the spectroscopic instruments of this telescope.

Webb’s spectra confirmed the distance to some of the most distant galaxies ever observed and discovered the supermassive black holes older and more distant. These spectra identified the composition of planetary atmospheres (or lack thereof) in more detail than ever before, and for the first time refined the possible types of atmospheres that could exist on rocky exoplanets.

They also revealed the chemical composition of stellar nativity scenes and protoplanetary discs, detecting water, organic molecules that contain carbon and other characteristics. Webb’s observations have already led to hundreds of scientific papers answering long-standing questions and raising new ones to be answered with this observatory.

Beyond the impressive infrared images, what really got scientists excited were Webb’s sharp spectra.

The magnitude of Webb’s scientific mission is also evident in his observations of the region of space with which we are most familiar: the solar system. The faint rings of gas giants appear in the dark, dotted with moons, while Webb points to distant galaxies in the background.

By comparing detections of water and other molecules in our solar system with those found in the disks of much younger planetary systems, Webb is helping develop clues to our own origins: how there To land it has become the ideal place for life as we know it.

“With a year of scientific exploration under our belt, we know exactly how powerful this telescope is, and we’ve delivered a year of spectacular data and discoveries,” he said. jane rigbySenior Webb Project Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Additionally, he said, “We have selected an ambitious set of observations for year two, which is based on everything we have learned so far. Webb’s science mission has only just begun and there is much more to come.”

He james webb space telescope It is the first space scientific observatory in the world. Webb solves the mysteries of our solar system, sees beyond distant worlds around other stars, and explores the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. This is an international program piloted by NASA with its partners: ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).