Latest news with #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope
See - Sada Elbalad
21 hours ago
- Science
- See - Sada Elbalad
James Webb Telescope Captures Image of Most Distant Galaxy Ever Seen
Israa Farhan The James Webb Space Telescope has made a groundbreaking discovery by capturing an image of the farthest galaxy ever observed. This galaxy, whose light has travelled across the universe for over 13 billion years, dates back to just 280 million years after the Big Bang, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the early stages of the cosmos. This incredible achievement breaks previous records and opens a new window for scientists to explore and understand the universe's infancy. The galaxy, named MoM-z14 by astronomers, has baffled scientists by being far brighter than expected for a galaxy of such extreme distance. Webb captured the galaxy as part of the "Miracle" program, which aims to identify and study galaxies from the early universe. What makes this discovery so remarkable is the fact that the light from MoM-z14 has been travelling for over 13 billion years to reach Earth. During its journey, the expanding universe stretched the light's wavelength, shifting it into the red spectrum, a phenomenon known as redshift. For MoM-z14, this redshift has reached an unprecedented level, surpassing any previously recorded measurements. Dr. Rohan Naidoo, leading the research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), explained that the galaxy's unexpected brightness indicates that it hosts a large number of young, luminous stars. The surprise, however, is that such a significant quantity of stars formed so early in the universe's history, challenging current models of galaxy formation just after the Big Bang. The James Webb Space Telescope's ability to capture this discovery stems from its advanced infrared imaging capabilities. Webb far surpasses earlier telescopes like Hubble and Spitzer in its ability to observe distant galaxies and their intricate structures. This cutting-edge technology not only allows astronomers to see galaxies that were once beyond our reach, but it also provides detailed insights into their formation and composition. In addition, scientists are employing the phenomenon of gravitational lensing to enhance Webb's observations. Large objects, such as the galaxy cluster Abell 2744 (commonly known as the Pandora Cluster), act as a natural lens, magnifying the light from galaxies further behind them. This technique enables scientists to uncover cosmic details that would otherwise remain hidden. This discovery is just the beginning, as astronomers expect the James Webb Space Telescope to break its own distance record again in the near future. The telescope is continuously observing the cosmos, and each new discovery helps scientists refine their understanding of how the first galaxies formed and evolved during the universe's early stages. The James Webb Space Telescope continues to redefine what is possible in the study of the universe, offering unprecedented views of the distant past. As it peels back the layers of time, each new observation provides valuable clues about the origins of galaxies, stars, and even the universe itself. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
World's first color images of black holes are on their way
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers with the Event Horizon Telescope have developed a new way to observe the radio sky at multiple frequencies, and it means we will soon be able to capture color images of supermassive black holes. Color is an interesting thing. In physics, we can say the color of light is defined by its frequency or wavelength. The longer the wavelength, or the lower the frequency, the more toward the red end of the spectrum light is. Move toward the blue end, and the wavelengths get shorter and the frequencies higher. Each frequency or wavelength has its own unique color. Of course, we don't see it that way. Our eyes see color with three different types of cones in our retina, sensitive to red, green, and blue light frequencies. Our minds then use this data to create a color image. Digital cameras work similarly. They have sensors that capture red, green, and blue light. Your computer screen then uses red, green, and blue pixels, which tricks our brain into seeing a color image. While we can't see radio light, radio telescopes can see colors, known as bands. A detector can capture a narrow range of frequencies, known as a frequency band, which is similar to the way optical detectors capture colors. By observing the radio sky at different frequency bands, astronomers can create a "color" image. Related: The rarest black holes in the universe may be 'wandering' our galaxy — but scientists don't know how to detect them But this is not without its problems. Most radio telescopes can only observe one band at a time. So astronomers have to observe an object multiple times at different bands to create a color image. For many objects, this is perfectly fine, but for fast-changing objects or objects with a small apparent size, it doesn't work. The image can change so quickly that you can't layer images together. Imagine if your phone camera took a tenth of a second to capture each color of an image. It would be fine for a landscape photo or selfie, but for an action shot the different images wouldn't line up. RELATED STORIES —Physicists create 'black hole bomb' for first time on Earth, validating decades-old theory —James Webb Space Telescope finds a wild black hole growth spurt in galaxies at 'cosmic noon' —Has the James Webb Space Telescope discovered a 'missing' supermassive black hole? (video) This is where this new method comes in. The team used a method known as frequency phase transfer (FPT) to overcome atmospheric distortions of radio light. By observing the radio sky at the 3mm wavelength, the team can track how the atmosphere distorts light. This is similar to the way optical telescopes use a laser to track atmospheric changes. The team demonstrated how they can observe the sky at both a 3mm and 1mm wavelength at the same time and use that to correct and sharpen the image gathered by the 1mm wavelength. By correcting for atmospheric distortion in this way, radio astronomers could capture successive images at different radio bands, then correct them all to create a high-resolution color image. This method is still in its early stages, and this latest study is just a demonstration of the technique. But it proves the method can work. So future projects such as the next-generation EHT (ngEHT) and the Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) will be able to build on this method. And that means we will be able to see black holes live and in color. The original version of this article was published on Universe Today.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
JWST peers through a cosmic lens in 'deepest gaze' to date
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The James Webb Space Telescope captured this stunning image of a galaxy cluster so massive that it serves a gravitational lens, warping the light and revealing more distant galaxies from the early universe. Abell S1063 is a cluster of galaxies that displays a strong gravitational lens effect, in which the light from distant galaxies behind the cluster is bent around it due to Abell S1063's mass, which creates a curvature in spacetime and forms the warped arcs that appear to surround it in the image. JWST's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) was able to use this effect, previously observed by the Hubble Space Telescope, to reveal a multitude of faint galaxies and previously unseen features. Galaxy cluster Abell S1063 lies about 4.5 billion light-years from Earth in the southern constellation Grus, the Crane. The distorted background galaxies are at a range of cosmic distances. JWST is adept at taking these types of images, known as a "deep field." When making these images, the telescope takes a long exposure of a single area of the sky in order to gather as much light as possible. Doing so can help the telescope see distant, faint galaxies that other observatories can't. "With 9 separate snapshots of different near-infrared wavelengths of light, totalling around 120 hours of observing time and aided by the magnifying effect of gravitational lensing, this is Webb's deepest gaze on a single target to date," the European Space Agency wrote in a statement. "Focusing such observing power on a massive gravitational lens, like Abell S1063, therefore has the potential to reveal some of the very first galaxies formed in the early universe." You can learn more about gravitational lensing and how the James Webb Space Telescope was pushed to its limits to see the most distant galaxies. You can also see the Hubble Space Telescope's view of galaxy cluster Abell S1063.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
The Big Bang's Glowing 'Echo' May Be Something Else Entirely
Part of the reason scientists have settled on the Big Bang theory as the best explanation of how the Universe came into being is because of an 'afterglow' it emits – but a new study suggests we may need to rethink the source of this faint radiation. Technically, this afterglow is known as Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, and it's been traveling through space for more than 13 billion years, since soon after the Big Bang first went bang. It can be picked up by our most advanced telescopes. Now, researchers from Nanjing University in China and the University of Bonn in Germany have run calculations suggesting we've overestimated the strength of the CMB. In fact, it might not even be there at all. The rocking of the cosmological boat, as it were, is driven by new evidence of early-type galaxies (ETGs). Recent data from the James Webb Space Telescope suggests these ETGs might account for some or even all of the CMB, depending on the simulation used. "Our results are a problem for the standard model of cosmology," says physicist Pavel Kroupa, from the University of Bonn. "It might be necessary to rewrite the history of the Universe, at least in part." Scientists already know plenty about ETGs, which are usually elliptical in shape. What's new is that recent studies, and this latest interpretation of them, point to these types of galaxies having formed even earlier than previous models accounted for. If that timeline shifts, then so does the pattern of radiation spreading out across the Universe. In simple terms, the Universe may have moved through its initial phase of gas surges and galaxy formation quicker than we imagined. "The Universe has been expanding since the Big Bang, like dough that is rising," says Kroupa. "This means that the distance between galaxies is increasing constantly." "We have measured how far apart elliptical galaxies are from one another today. Using this data and taking into account the characteristics of this group of galaxies, we were then able to use the speed of expansion to determine when they first formed." This earlier estimate for the formation of these ETGs means that their brightness could emerge "as a non-negligible source of CMB foreground contamination", the researchers write. We should bear in mind that this research is still in its preliminary stages. It's not time yet to start pulping scientific textbooks – or whatever the modern equivalent is. Rewriting Wikipedia, perhaps? But this research certainly raises some big questions. Given the almost unimaginable timescales and distances involved, it's difficult for astrophysicists to always be precise. The researchers suggest anywhere from 1.4 percent to 100 percent of the CMB could be explained by their new models. What's certain is that as our space telescopes and analysis systems get more sophisticated, we're learning more about the surrounding Universe than ever before – and that in turn means some previous assumptions may have to be readjusted, including those about the very formation of the Universe itself. "In the view of the results documented here, it may become necessary to consider [other] cosmological models," write the researchers in their published paper. The research has been published in Nuclear Physics B. A Serious Threat May Be Lurking in The Orbit of Venus, Says Study We Now Know What Switched The Lights on at The Dawn of Time Light Travels Across The Universe Without Losing Energy. But How?
Observer
2 days ago
- Science
- Observer
New studies dismiss signs of life on distant planet
In April, a team of astronomers announced that they might — just might — have found signs of life on a planet over 120 light-years from Earth. The mere possibility of extraterrestrial life was enough to attract attention worldwide. It also attracted intense scrutiny from other astronomers. Over the past month, researchers have independently analyzed the data, which suggested that the planet, called K2-18b, has a molecule in its atmosphere that could have been created by living organisms. Three different analyses have all reached the same conclusion: They see no compelling evidence for life on K2-18b. 'The claim just absolutely vanishes,' said Luis Welbanks, an astronomer at Arizona State University and an author of one of the studies. The debate has less to do with the existence of alien life than with the challenge of observing distant planets. We can see a nearby planet like Jupiter because it reflects enough sunlight to become visible to the naked eye. But a planet like K2-18b is so far away that it becomes invisible not just to the naked eye but to conventional telescopes. Astronomers have devised a series of increasingly sophisticated tricks to glean information about distant planets. They can measure the wobble of stars and the gravity of planets orbiting them. In 2010, researchers caught a glimpse of GJ 1214b, a planet 48 light-years away, as it passed in front of the star it orbits. When the star's light shone through the planet's atmosphere, certain wavelengths were absorbed, indicating that GJ 1214b might have an atmosphere rich in water vapor. In 2022, astronomers began using a powerful new tool to peer at distant planets in this way. They pointed the James Webb Space Telescope at faraway solar systems and began detecting exquisitely faint patterns in starlight, clues to the complexity of exoplanet atmospheres. The following year, Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge, and his colleagues zeroed in on K2-18b as it passed in front of its star, using instruments on the Webb telescope that are extremely sensitive to near-infrared light. As K2-18b passed in front of the star, the starlight underwent a subtle shift, caused by a planetary atmosphere containing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane, the researchers concluded. They also found suggestive hints of a fourth gas, dimethyl sulfide, which could be a very big deal. On Earth, the only source of dimethyl sulfide in the atmosphere is life. Photosynthetic microbes in the ocean produce the molecule as a defense against ultraviolet light from the sun. The molecule escapes their cells and ends up in the air. But the signal was so faint that it was hard to be certain that it was real. So Madhusudhan's team arranged to look again at K2-18b in 2024. This time, they used a different instrument on the space telescope, which looks at longer wavelengths of mid-infrared light. In the team's second search, they again found a signature of dimethyl sulfide, this one seemingly even stronger than the first. In April, Madhusudhan and his colleagues described their results in a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Speaking at a news conference the day before, Madhusudhan said there was only 'a three-in-a-thousand chance of this being a fluke.' Rafael Luque, an astronomer at the University of Chicago, characterized Madhusudhan as a world expert on exoplanets. 'Madhu has been a pioneer in the field,' he said. 'I have the utmost respect for that team.' Nevertheless, Luque and his colleagues decided to take a look at the data for themselves. For their own analysis, the scientists combined all the observations of K2-18b in both the near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths. On May 19, they reported that this combined data contained strong signals of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane, but no clear evidence of dimethyl sulfide. The critics argue that the new mid-infrared observations were much weaker than those in the near-infrared. On its own, they say, the mid-infrared light could fool researchers with faint noise masquerading as a real signal of dimethyl sulfide. 'I can just say straight up there is no statistically significant signal in the data that was published a month ago,' Jacob Bean said. Bean, an astronomer at the University of Chicago who discovered GJ 1214b's atmosphere, worked with Luque on the May 19 study. Welbanks, a former student of Madhusudhan's, and his colleagues analyzed the K2-18b data differently. If the mid-infrared signal was genuine, did it have to come from dimethyl sulfide? The team considered 90 molecules that could plausibly be produced on a planet like K2-18b. Those molecules didn't have to be produced by life, however; chemical reactions driven by sunlight could be enough. The researchers concluded that the mid-infrared signal might have been produced by 59 of the 90 molecules. The strongest candidate in their analysis was not dimethyl sulfide but propyne, a gas that welders use as fuel. Welbanks and his colleagues aren't claiming that propyne is present on K2-18b. They simply argue that the faint light from the planet's atmosphere can create ambiguous patterns that might be the result of one of many gases. Such scant data certainly isn't sufficient to consider any planet to be a possible home for life. On May 15, Madhusudhan and his colleagues responded to Welbanks' team with a study of their own. They examined 650 possible molecules that might be in K2-18b's atmosphere; dimethyl sulfide ended up among the molecules at the top of the list. 'We're exactly where we left off a month ago; it's a good candidate,' Madhusudhan said. Welbanks said the new study by Madhusudhan simply provided more evidence that dimethyl sulfide does not stand out compared to other possible molecules on K2-18b. 'In effect, this is a self-rebuttal,' he said. It's possible that the debate over K2-18b could be resolved within months. Last year, Renyu Hu, an astronomer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and his colleagues made more near-infrared observations of the planet. They are now preparing their results. 'It will include substantially more data than previously published,' Hu said. Bean said the new observations could dispel much of the confusion about K2-18b. 'The science is working,' he said. 'It's going to play out pretty quickly, and I think we'll have some clarity.' This article originally appeared in
