Latest news with #CaitlinCasey
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Gaskin kick sends Saints top with win over Leeds
St Helens Women scored a last-minute converted try to snatch a 22-20 victory over Leeds Rhinos and go top of Super Casey ran through against her former team to level the scores before Faye Gaskin secured the win with the Bruce thought she had scored the deceive try for Leeds in the second half. But Mel Howard's quickfire double turned the game on its head after Dani McGifford extended Saints' 12-4 half time lead to by four points moments after the Bryer put the Rhinos ahead early but they missed the conversion and Gaskin successfully kicked her own tries before result means St Helens have maintained their unbeaten start to the season, while Leeds are fourth.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Check out this interactive map of the early universe, considered largest ever created
A team of astronomers have put together the largest, most detailed map of the universe ever created – and you can explore it now. The interactive online map, created using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, details some 800,000 galaxies across a vast cosmic distance – which in astronomy amounts to peering back in time. In fact, some of the galaxies are so far away, they appear as they existed not long after the Big Bang. Depicting a section of the universe known as the COSMOS-Web field, the new map is far more expansive than even the iconic Hubble Ultra Deep Field, a view of 10,000 galaxies NASA released in 2004. Spanning nearly all of cosmic time, the new map has the potential to challenge existing notions of the infant universe, the astronomers who created it claimed in a press release. The best part? The interactive map is available for the public to use. A team of international scientists who are part of the Cosmic Evolution Survey program (COSMOS) created and released the map of the universe Thursday, June 5. Compiled from more than 10,000 images of COSMOS-Web – the largest observing program of James Webb Space Telescope's first year in orbit – the map covers about three times as much space as the moon takes up when viewed from Earth. That makes it the largest contiguous image available from Webb, according to the Rochester Institute of Technology, whose Jeyhan Kartaltepe is a lead researcher on the project. An intricate astral tapestry, the map gives stargazers digital views of the ancient cosmos in unprecedented detail and breadth. Scrolling and zooming in can take users some 13.5 billion years back in time when the universe was in its infancy and stars, galaxies and black holes were still forming. 'If you had a printout of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field on a standard piece of paper, our image would be slightly larger than a 13-foot by 13-foot-wide mural, at the same depth," Caitlin Casey, a physicist at the University of California, Santa Barbara and co-lead for the COSMOS project, said in a statement. "It's really strikingly large.' Explore the interactive map . Using its powerful resolution and infrared capabilities, the James Webb Space Telescope observed a region of space known as the COSMOS-web field, which scientists have been surveying for years. The raw data from the COSMOS field observations was made publicly available once it was collected by Webb, but that didn't mean it was easily accessible. That's why the COSMOS project spent two years creating the map from Webb's raw data to make it more digestible for amateur astronomers, researchers and even the general public. "In releasing the data to the public, the hope is that other astronomers from all over the world will use it to, among other things, further refine our understanding of how the early universe was populated and how everything evolved to the present day," according to a statement from UC Santa Barbara. The James Webb Space Telescope, which launched in 2021, far surpasses the abilities of the Hubble Space Telescope, launched 35 years ago in 1990. Orbiting the sun rather than Earth, the Webb is outfitted with a gold-coated mirror and powerful infrared instruments to observe the cosmos like no instrument before. Since reaching the cosmos, Webb has not only facilitated countless scientific breakthroughs in astrophysics, but it also has produced gorgeous images of planets and other celestial objects, including star-forming regions. In March, NASA also deployed into orbit its SPHEREx telescope to collect data on more than 450 million galaxies. Scientists say the SPHEREx observatory will be able to get a wider view of the galaxy – identifying objects of scientific interest that telescopes like Hubble and Webb can then study up close. SPHEREx became operational in May, constantly snapping images of the cosmos. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Astronomers release largest interactive map of universe: Check it out
Express Tribune
14-06-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
James Webb Telescope finds life? NASA unveils largest-ever map of the recorded universe
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has unveiled a record-breaking cosmic map, charting over 800,000 galaxies beyond the Milky Way in a mission that stretches the boundaries of astronomical research. It marks the most detailed and expansive map of the distant universe ever produced. The findings come from the COSMOS-Web project, a deep field survey covering just 0.54 square degrees of sky, yet offering a window into 98% of the universe's history. Conducted over 255 hours of continuous observation, the COSMOS-Web survey used JWST's advanced infrared sensors to peer across space and time. Webb observed these little green galaxies in Pandora's Cluster. Were they the cause of a massive cosmic makeover? In the universe's first billion years, it was immersed in a fog of neutral hydrogen gas. Today, this gas is ionized (stripped of its electrons). Which cosmic objects… — NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) June 12, 2025 Unlike visible light telescopes such as Hubble, JWST detects ancient infrared light—light stretched by the expansion of the universe and invisible to standard optical instruments. 'This project allows us to see galaxies and supermassive black holes not even visible with Hubble,' said Professor Caitlin Casey, one of the lead researchers. 'We're not just seeing more galaxies—we're seeing entirely different types than ever before.' The data reveals an unexpectedly dense population of galaxies in the early universe—up to 10 times more than anticipated within the first 500 million years after the Big Bang. In some cases, galaxies appear just 300 million years after the universe began, offering a glimpse into the earliest stages of cosmic formation. The COSMOS-Web initiative also stands out for its commitment to open science. After two years of data processing, the entire dataset is now available publicly. This transparency allows not just specialists, but also students and independent researchers to study and interpret the universe's infancy. The implications of the discovery are wide-ranging. From providing insights into the formation of early galaxies and black holes to enabling future research into cosmic structure, COSMOS-Web may serve as a foundational reference for years to come. With JWST continuing its mission, astronomers anticipate even more breakthroughs as they trace the evolution of the universe—from the smallest galaxies to the vast structures shaping space as we know it.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scroll through the UNIVERSE: Incredible interactive map lets you explore nearly 800,000 galaxies - peering back as far as 13.5 billion years
Studying the depths of the universe usually involves billions of pounds of supercomputers, satellites, and telescopes. But a team of scientists has now made it possible for you to explore the cosmos from the comfort of your own home. Their incredible interactive map, dubbed COSMOS-Web, lets you scroll through almost 800,000 galaxies and peer back as far as 13.5 billion years. That means looking back through 98 per cent of cosmic time almost to the birth of the universe 13.8 billion years ago. Covering an area of sky about the same size as three full moons, this image combines more than 10,000 photographs from the James Webb Space Telescope. Professor Caitlin Casey, an astronomer at UC Santa Barbara who co-led the COSMOS collaboration, said: 'Our goal was to construct this deep field of space on a physical scale that far exceeded anything that had been done before. 'If you had a printout of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field on a standard piece of paper, our image would be slightly larger than a 13-foot by 13-foot-wide mural, at the same depth. 'So it's really strikingly large.' While the data for this map has existed for a while, it was previously in a raw form that needed expert analysis and a supercomputer to interpret. But over the last two years, an international team of scientists has worked to turn the data behind the largest map of the universe into something that anyone can use. In the stunning interactive map, at this link, you can zoom out to see hundreds of thousands of galaxies stretch across the sky or zoom in to reveal amazing details. Using the tools included in the map you can even dive deeper into the data by switching between different imaging tools. To learn even more, turn on catalogues using the tabs on the left-hand side and click on any galaxy to bring up a vast trove of data. The researchers have made this available to the public in the hopes that more people will be able to help dig into the data and unpick some of the universe's most puzzling questions. Professor Casey says: 'The best science is really done when everyone thinks about the same data set differently. 'It's not just for one group of people to figure out the mysteries.' Six galaxies hidden in the COSMOS-Web map as they were 3 billion, 4 billion, 8 billion, 9 billion and 10 billion years ago (from top left to bottom right). This period spans almost the entirety of cosmic history Nine galaxies in the map which span all of cosmic time, from upper left to lower right: the present day universe, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 billion years ago Already, this enormous set of data is helping scientists understand how galaxies formed at the beginning of time and challenging some basic assumptions in astronomy. Based on data from the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers expected galaxies to be extremely rare in the first 500 million years. This is because it takes a long time for stars to form under gravity and get pulled together into larger structures. But when the researchers looked back at the most distant reaches of the universe, they found there were about 10 times more galaxies than they expected to find. Professor Casey says: 'Since the telescope turned on we've been wondering 'Are these JWST datasets breaking the cosmological model?' 'Because the universe was producing too much light too early; it had only about 400 million years to form something like a billion solar masses of stars. We just do not know how to make that happen.' The map is so much more detailed than earlier efforts because of the size of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). While Hubble's main light-collecting was 7ft 10 inches (2.4m) across, the JWST's is a staggering 21ft (6.5m) wide. You can use the filters on the map to reveal more information about the universe By clicking on any galaxy you can pull up a huge amount of data collected by the James Webb Space Telescope That allows the telescope to collect the faintest traces of light coming from the furthest reaches of the galaxy. Dr Jeyhan Kartaltepe, associate professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology who co-leads COSMOS-Web, says: 'The sensitivity of JWST lets us see much fainter and more distant galaxies than ever before, so we're able to find galaxies in the very early universe and study their properties in detail.' Going forward the team behind COSMOS-Web still has a lot more work to do in order to unpack all the data hidden in the map. They plan to use the JWST spectrographic tools to identify the oldest galaxies in the image and learn more about the chemistry of these early stars. The Big Bang Theory is a cosmological model, a theory used to describe the beginning and the evolution of our universe. It says that the universe was in a very hot and dense state before it started to expand 13,7 billion years ago. This theory is based on fundamental observations. In 1920, Hubble observed that the distance between galaxies was increasing everywhere in the universe. This means that galaxies had to be closer to each other in the past. In 1964, Wilson and Penzias discovered the cosmic background radiation, which is a like a fossil of radiation emitted during the beginning of the universe, when it was hot and dense. The cosmic background radiation is observable everywhere in the universe. The composition of the universe - that is, the the number of atoms of different elements - is consistent with the Big Bang Theory. So far, this theory is the only one that can explain why we observe an abundance of primordial elements in the universe.
NDTV
12-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
James Webb Telescope Unveils Largest-Ever Map Of The Universe, Reveals 800,000 Galaxies
Scientists have unveiled the largest map of the universe, featuring nearly 800,000 galaxies across 13.5 billion years of cosmic history. This groundbreaking map, created by the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) collaboration, covers a small region of the sky equivalent to about three times the size of the full moon. The map showcases galaxies from the early universe, some of which appear as they did 13.5 billion years ago, just 300 million years after the Big Bang. Spanning 98% of the universe's timeline, this comprehensive dataset was made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope's 255 hours of observation. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) spent 255 hours observing a region of space known as the COSMOS field to gather data for the map. This area of the sky was chosen for its minimal interference from stars, gas clouds, and other features, allowing scientists to survey it across various wavelengths of light. The JWST's observations have provided an exceptionally detailed view of the universe dating back 13.5 billion years. Due to the universe's expansion, light from distant sources is stretched into infrared wavelengths, which the JWST was specifically designed to detect. This has enabled scientists to observe faint signals from the universe's early stages, reshaping our understanding of its formation. "Our goal was to construct this deep field of space on a physical scale that far exceeded anything that had been done before. If you had a printout of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field on a standard piece of paper, our image would be slightly larger than a 13-foot by 13-foot mural, at the same depth. So it's really strikingly large," says physicist Caitlin Casey of the University of California, Santa Barbara, who co-led the COSMOS collaboration with Jeyhan Kartaltepe of the Rochester Institute of Technology. The COSMOS-Web composite image captures a vast expanse of cosmic history, dating back 13.5 billion years, which covers approximately 98% of the universe's total age of 13.8 billion years. By observing this extensive period, researchers aimed to gain insights not only into the earliest galaxies but also into the broader cosmic environments that existed during the formation of the first stars, galaxies, and black holes in the early universe. How to use the Interactive Map Viewer To explore the map, curious individuals can visit the project's map viewer by following a link and clicking the "check it out!" button. The map displays over 700,000 galaxies and other objects in a square-ish image. To navigate the map effectively, use the layers and filters in the top right corner. These include: Views: Options like NIRCam RGB and other views Tiles: Breaks down the image into segments, showing which instrument captured each part Objects of Interest: Outlines notable objects, providing catalogue IDs, raw images, and additional data points like light wavelength The top left tools allow for search and configuration, enabling adjustments to brightness and hue to enhance object visibility. Users can experiment with the controls to discover interesting features and reset settings by refreshing the browser window.
