18/1/2023–|Last updated: 1/18/202312:10 PM (Makkah)
In a new reveal that shows the magnitude and vastness of the universe, the “James Webb” telescope of the US Space Agency (NASA) captured a new image of the Tarantula Nebula, also known as the “Spider Nebula”.
And NASA stated in a statement that the Spider Nebula – which was named after the shape of the gas and dust clouds in it and is located 161,000 light-years away – is the largest and most glowing among the star-forming regions in all galaxies close to the “Milky Way” galaxy in which our planet is located. It includes the most famous and largest known stars.
Scientists have always focused on this nebula to study the process of star formation, but the images of the “James Webb” telescope reveal new details, including thousands of young stars that were not visible until now to previous telescopes.
With our powers combined ???? @ChandraXRay teamed up with Webb to create a new stunning composite image of the Tarantula Nebula. Chandra’s X-rays (shown in royal blue & purple) identify supernova explosion remnants, while Webb reveals forming baby stars: https://t.co/b3RYtFZokQ pic.twitter.com/XtzYeq3LxG
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) January 17, 2023
Young blue stars
A group of very bright young blue stars appears in the center of the image captured by NASA’s “Chandra X-ray” guide devices, while it monitors the near-infrared field that is not visible to the naked eye, which also made it monitor the remnants of supernova explosions that It will eventually send important elements like oxygen and carbon into space where it will become part of the next generation of stars.
Supernovae occur in the Milky Way at a rate of twice per century, and the last “supernova” witnessed by humans erupted in the sky in 1987, and the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere watched it shine during the day, as the explosion occurred 168 thousand light years away in the cloud. The Great Magellanic of a blue star that was also inhabiting the Spider Nebula, so it was not possible to see it in the Arab world.
The chemical composition of the Spider Nebula differs from most nebulae in the Milky Way, as it represents the conditions in our galaxy that existed many billions of years ago when stars were forming at a much faster rate than what astronomers see today, which means that studying this nebula provides scientists with an opportunity to learn More about how stars formed in our galaxy in the distant past.
The James Webb Telescope is a collaborative project of the US, European and Canadian space agencies. It was launched in December 2021 and is considered the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.
One of the main tasks of the James Webb Telescope is to explore the early ages of the universe, because – in astronomy – diving into space is equivalent to going back in time, because the observed light has traveled billions of years before reaching us.