A newly released image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows a crowded field of galaxies and stars, where a distant spiral galaxy stands out in stunning detail. Big galaxy LEDA 2046648 at the bottom of the image is so clear in the image. James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or Webb), showing separate spiral arms. This level of detail is even more impressive considering that the galaxy in question, located in the constellation Hercules, is 1 billion light-years away. Soil and JWST.

This particular image also shows a number of other galaxies and stars, all marked by the hexagonal diffraction spikes that are the hallmark of JWST observations. The image was captured by JWST’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) while watching the telescope. white dwarf WD1657+343 is a well-studied object observed by JWST to calibrate Near Infrared Imaging and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS).

Not only are other galaxies in the image smaller than LEDA 2046648, but some are further away, providing a deeper view of the story. Universe. One of the main goals of JWST is to look back at the universe in its infancy by observing distant galaxies, some of which are much further away than LEDA 2046648.

This historical representation is possible because light from distant galaxies takes a limited amount of time to reach Earth, so looking at these galaxies is like seeing them at a time when the light was gone, sometimes 13.8 billion years ago. about 300 million years later Big Bang. But the light from these galaxies does not remain unchanged during the multi-billion-dollar trip to JWST’s 21-foot-wide (6.5-meter) gold-plated primary mirror.

The expansion of the universe widens the wavelength of this light, reducing its energy from the visible spectrum to infrared light. This process is known as “redshift“Because it carries light to the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum.

This phenomenon makes JWST’s infrared capability ideal for studying the redshift of light from ancient galaxies, thereby revealing the details of their formation, evolution, and composition.

Astronomers can then compare the structure of these distant, ancient galaxies with galaxies we see closer to our own galactic home. Milky Wayexisting in a more modern age of the universe.

The comparison could help reveal how galaxies grew to form the structure we see in the universe today. Additionally, light from distant galaxies helps astronomers reveal their chemical composition by showing astronomers how and when heavy elements form and become more common in later galaxies by enriching them from exploding stars.