Nasa has released mind-blowing images from its James Webb Space Telescope which gaze back into the dawn of the universe. Described as the “deepest” and most detailed images of space ever seen by humanity, the photos show galaxy clusters, nebulas, and stars from billions of years ago.
Here are the images released so far by Nasa, and what they show.
1. Carina Nebula
The first image Nasa has shared from its James Webb Space Telescope is this beautiful shot of a star forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. It was partly produced by an instrument designed and built in Scotland at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh. Photo: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
2. Webb's First Deep Field
This image, known as Webb's First Deep Field, is the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. It gazes back in time 4.6 billion years to a galaxy cluster called SMACS 0723, just a "tiny sliver of the vast universe". Photo: Space Telescope Science Institut
3. Stephans Quintet
This image reveals never-before-seen details of Stephans Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies which form the most compact group ever discovered. It was first spotted by Edouard M. Stephan in 1877, who it is named after. Photo: NASA
4. Nebula
This image from the James Webb Space Telescope reveals the cloak of dust around the second star at the centre of the Southern Ring Nebula for the first time. Photo: NASA