GREENBELT, Md. (AP) β NASA on Tuesday unveiled a new batch of images from its new powerful space telescope, including a foamy blue and orange shot of a dying star.
The first image from the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope was released Monday at the White House β a jumble of distant galaxies that went deeper into the cosmos than humanity has ever seen.
The four additional photos released Tuesday included more cosmic beauty shots.
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With one exception, the latest images showed parts of the universe seen by other telescopes. But Webb's sheer power, distant location off Earth and use of the infrared light spectrum showed them in new light.
"Every image is a new discovery and each will give humanity a view of the humanity that we've never seen before,'' NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Tuesday, rhapsodizing over images showing "the formation of stars, devouring black holes."
Webb's use of the infrared light spectrum allows the telescope to see through the cosmic dust and "see light from faraway light from the corners of the universe," he said.
"We've really changed the understanding of our universe," said European Space Agency director general Josef Aschbacher.
The European and Canadian space agencies joined NASA in building the powerful telescope.
On tap Tuesday:
β The Southern Ring Nebula, which is sometimes called "eight-burst.' About 2,500 light-years away, it shows an expanding cloud of gas surrounding a dying star. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles.
β Carina Nebula, one of the bright stellar nurseries in the sky, about 7,600 light-years away.
β Five galaxies in a cosmic dance, 290 million light-years away. Stephan's Quintet was first seen 225 years ago in the constellation Pegasus.
β A blueish giant planet called WASP-96b. It's about the size of Saturn and is 1,150 light-years away. A gas planet, it's not a candidate for life elsewhere but a key target for astronomers.
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The images were released one-by-one at an event at NASA's Goddard Space Center that included cheerleaders with pompoms the color of the telescope's golden mirrors.
The world's biggest and most powerful space telescope rocketed away last December from French Guiana in South America. It reached its lookout point 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth in January. Then the lengthy process began to align the mirrors, get the infrared detectors cold enough to operate and calibrate the science instruments, all protected by a sunshade the size of a tennis court that keeps the telescope cool.
Webb is considered the successor to the highly successful, but aging Hubble Space Telescope.
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The Webb telescope explained
How do telescopes get to space?
UpdatedHubble caught a lift to orbit tucked inside NASA's space shuttle Discovery in 1990. It quickly ran into trouble: one of the telescope's solar wings jammed as it was unfurling.
Astronauts suited up for an emergency spacewalk, but commands from Earth freed the panel. Within weeks, Hubble's blurry vision was detected. Spacewalking astronauts fixed it three years later.
Soaring from South America on a European Ariane rocket, Webb won't be reachable by astronauts at its destination 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away.
Bigger and more intricate than Hubble, Webb will be a goner if its foldout mirror and sunshield snarl.
Webb can see back in time
UpdatedWebb is expected to behold light from the universe's first stars and galaxies, beyond Hubble's range. This light will reveal how the original stars looked 13.7 billion years ago. Hubble has stared as far back as 13.4 billion years, disclosing a clumpy runt of a galaxy that is currently the oldest and farthest object ever observed.
Astronomers are eager to close the 300 million year gap with Webb and draw ever closer in time to the Big Bang, the moment the universe formed 13.8 billion years ago.
"It's like looking at the picture book of my kids and missing the first two years, right? Trying to figure out where they come from," said NASA science chief Thomas Zurbuchen.
What's the difference in how the telescopes see the universe?
UpdatedHubble sees what we see β visible light β with a little ultraviolet and infrared thrown in. Webb has infrared vision, allowing it to pierce cosmic clouds of dust.
The shorter visible and ultraviolet wavelengths emitted by the first stars and galaxies have been stretched as the universe expands, so Webb will see them in their elongated, heat-emitting infrared form.
That's why Webb's detectors need to run at minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 240 degrees Celsius). To stay chilled, Webb carries a parasol the size of a tennis court.
Between each of the sunshield's five layers is a gap so heat can escape out the sides. Multiple layers also better protect against micrometeorite hits.
Specialized mirrors capture faintest stars
UpdatedTo discern the universe's first, faint stars, Webb requires the largest mirror ever launched for astronomy. The mirror spans more than 21 feet (6.5 meters), yet is lighter than Hubble's, which is 8 feet (2.4 meters) across.
That's because Webb's mirror is made of beryllium, a strong but lightweight metal. It's also segmented, allowing it to fold like a drop-leaf table for launch. Each of the 18 hexagonal segments are the size of a coffee table and coated with ultra-thin gold, an ideal reflector of infrared light.
Webb lives on the dark side
UpdatedHubble circles 330 miles (530 kilometers) overhead. The altitude was dictated by the capabilities of NASA's space shuttles, which delivered Hubble to orbit and then made five service calls.
Webb is bound for more a more distant spot β 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away at what's called the second Lagrange point. This is where the gravitational forces of the Earth and sun balance, requiring minimal fuel for a spacecraft to stay put.
Webb will constantly face the nightside of Earth as the spacecraft and planet swoop around the sun in unison.
The cost of discovery
UpdatedHubble was years late and millions over budget by the time it rocketed into orbit in 1990. Webb also is years late with huge cost overruns.
NASA's tab for Hubble from its 1970s development until now: $16 billion, adjusted for inflation. That doesn't include all the shuttle flights for launch and repairs.
Webb's price tag is an estimated $10 billion; that includes the first five years of operation. The European Space Agency is picking up the launch costs, with a French-built Ariane rocket providing Webb's lift from French Guiana.
Who were Hubble and Webb?
UpdatedAstronomer Edwin Hubble confirmed a century ago that countless galaxies exist beyond our Milky Way and the universe is constantly expanding. James Webb led NASA from 1961 to 1968, presiding over Projects Mercury and Gemini, and the early phase of Apollo's moon-landing program.
In 2002, a decade after Webb's death, NASA chose his name for the new telescope. But now some scientists and others want a new name, given Webb's State Department and NASA leadership during the Truman administration, when government workers were fired for being gay.
NASA's historian conducted an archival search of Webb this year, but found no evidence warranting a name change, said Administrator Bill Nelson.
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