[W: 329] The James Webb Space Telescope Photo Album Thread

[HangLow]

Yes indeed. As the US is a great partner in other Big Science projects like ITER and the ISS.

Lead partners attract the actual scientists and engineers, though. We should not be lulled by the feeling of international cooperation, to overlook "brain drain" or the attraction of European lifestyle to our scientists. They may go for the science, but stay for the croissants!

The US leads the world in detecting gravitational waves. The next great observatory should be built in space, and the US is best positioned to do that.

in the meantime;

LIGO resumes work in 2023 and will catch gravitational wave signals fainter than ever​

By Robert Lea published July 05, 2022, The gravitational wave detector will be able to spot neutron star mergers as distant as 620 million light-years away.

An artist's view of the merger of a black hole and a neutron star spotted by LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA in 2020. (Image credit: Carl Knox, OzGrav — Swinburne University)​

Following two years of upgrades, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is almost ready for its next operating run, which is set to begin in March 2023.

During this fourth operating run (O4) LIGO 
—  which comprises two detectors, one in Washington and one in Louisiana
— will be joined by two other gravitational wave observatories: the Virgo interferometer, in Italy, and the Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector (KAGRA), in Japan.

A Space-Based Gravitational Wave Observatory Is a Step Closer to Reality. The planned LISA mission would involve three spacecraft flying in formation over a million miles apart.​

By n Isaac Schultz 5/05/22 4:55 PM

A Space-Based Gravitational Wave Observatory Is a Step Closer to Reality

The planned LISA mission would involve three spacecraft flying in formation over a million miles apart.

gizmodo.com

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A proposal for the first-ever space-based observatory for studying gravitational waves just passed a vital feasibility review with flying colors. The mission is called LISA—the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna—and it cleared Phase A of its mission lifetime cycle, the process by which missions are dreamt up and then created.

Led by the European Space Agency in collaboration with NASA, LISA is made up of three spacecraft that will orbit the Sun in a triangular formation.

Each ‘side’ in that triangle will be 1.5 million miles long.

As an interferometer (like the ground-based LIGO), LISA will very precisely keep track of the distance between the three spacecraft. When a passing gravitational wave causes a distortion in spacetime, LISA will detect it as the distance between its spacecraft briefly changes.

LISA will also be able to detect where in the sky the gravitational wave came from.

 

[HangLow]

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[HangLow]

It Rains Diamonds On Planets Across The Universe,​

And We Might Know Why​

It Rains Diamonds On Planets Across The Universe, And We Might Know Why

Diamond rain might be common across the universe.

screenrant.com

Scientists think it rains diamonds on Uranus & Neptune, and new research suggests it could be a common phenomenon on icy planets across the universe.

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Image: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Scientists think that diamond rain might be common on planets across the universe, after recreating the strange rain that is formed deep inside Uranus and Neptune using ordinary plastic. Very little is known about the ice giants located at the far end of our solar system. The interiors of these icy planets typically comprise a mixture of water, methane, and ammonia. The reaction of these substances with extreme temperatures on the planets are thought to result in chemical reactions and changes.

Since very little is known about Uranus and Neptune, the two most distant planets in our solar system, the research on diamond rain remains speculative. Sending a spacecraft to Uranus or Neptune is the most reliable way to verify this theory. A NASA team has proposed a new expedition to the planets, which might launch within the next decade and give us a better understanding of the planet. In the meantime, the James Webb Telescope will allow us to observe a great deal more of what is occurring inside these planets, and hopefully, provide more insight into the formation of diamond rain.

 

[Sabre]

• The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the most detailed image of the Orion Nebula
• This cloud of dust and gas sits 1,350 light years from Earth and formed 4.5 billion years ago

Full article and pictures at :

James Webb Telescope snaps 'breathtaking' image of the Orion Nebula

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured the most detailed image of the Orion Nebula that sits 1,350 light years from Earth - one light-year is about six trillion miles.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[HangLow]

It Rains Diamonds On Planets Across The Universe,​

And We Might Know Why​

It Rains Diamonds On Planets Across The Universe, And We Might Know Why

Diamond rain might be common across the universe.

screenrant.com

Scientists think it rains diamonds on Uranus & Neptune, and new research suggests it could be a common phenomenon on icy planets across the universe.

View attachment 67412251​

Image: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Scientists think that diamond rain might be common on planets across the universe, after recreating the strange rain that is formed deep inside Uranus and Neptune using ordinary plastic. Very little is known about the ice giants located at the far end of our solar system. The interiors of these icy planets typically comprise a mixture of water, methane, and ammonia. The reaction of these substances with extreme temperatures on the planets are thought to result in chemical reactions and changes.

Since very little is known about Uranus and Neptune, the two most distant planets in our solar system, the research on diamond rain remains speculative. Sending a spacecraft to Uranus or Neptune is the most reliable way to verify this theory. A NASA team has proposed a new expedition to the planets, which might launch within the next decade and give us a better understanding of the planet. In the meantime, the James Webb Telescope will allow us to observe a great deal more of what is occurring inside these planets, and hopefully, provide more insight into the formation of diamond rain.

STATEMENT FROM A FRIEND;
"An orbiter mission for the planet Uranus is in the early planning stages...
But, sadly, there will be no orbiter arriving at Neptune until at LEAST the 2050s..."

 

[HangLow]

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[Ug make hammer]

STATEMENT FROM A FRIEND;
"An orbiter mission for the planet Uranus is in the early planning stages...
But, sadly, there will be no orbiter arriving at Neptune until at LEAST the 2050s..."

A craft capable of 1g acceleration indefinitely, would arrive and stop at Neptune in just 16 days.

Well fusion energy could probably do that, but we don't have it. Antimatter is even more energy dense, however. Do you think we could make a matter/antimatter drive?

 

[HangLow]

NASA is possibly only a few decades away from developing an antimatter spacecraft that would cut fuel costs to a fraction of what they are today. In October 2000, NASA scientists announced early designs for an antimatter engine that could generate enormous thrust with only small amounts of antimatter fueling it. The amount of antimatter needed to supply the engine for a trip to Mars could be as little as a millionth of a gram...

Matter-antimatter propulsion will be the most efficient propulsion ever developed because 100 percent of the mass of the matter and antimatter are converted into energy. When matter and antimatter collide, the energy released by their annihilation releases about 10 billion times the energy that chemical energy such as hydrogen and oxygen combustion...

Matter-antimatter reactions are 1,000 times more powerful than the nuclear fission produced in nuclear power plants and 300 times more powerful than nuclear fusion energy. So, matter-antimatter engines have the potential to take us farther with less fuel. The problem is creating and storing the antimatter.

There are three main components to a matter-antimatter engine:

• Magnetic storage rings - Antimatter must be separated from normal matter so storage rings with magnetic fields can move the antimatter around the ring until it is needed to create energy.
• Feed system - When the spacecraft needs more power, the antimatter will be released to collide with a target of matter, which releases energy.
• Magnetic rocket nozzle thruster - Like a particle collider on Earth, a long magnetic nozzle will move the energy created by the matter-antimatter through a thruster.

Approximately 10 grams of antiprotons would be enough fuel to send a manned spacecraft to Mars in one month. Today, it takes nearly a year for an unmanned spacecraft to reach Mars. In 1996, the Mars Global Surveyor took 11 months to arrive at Mars. Scientists believe that the speed of a matter-antimatter-powered spacecraft would allow man to go where no man has gone before. It would be possible to make trips to Jupiter and even beyond the heliopause...

But it will still be a long time before astronauts are asked to take them to warp speed...

How Antimatter Spacecraft Will Work

Antimatter has the ability to store incredible amounts of energy in a very small space. See how it will work.

science.howstuffworks.com

 

[Ug make hammer]

NASA is possibly only a few decades away from developing an antimatter spacecraft that would cut fuel costs to a fraction of what they are today. In October 2000, NASA scientists announced early designs for an antimatter engine that could generate enormous thrust with only small amounts of antimatter fueling it. The amount of antimatter needed to supply the engine for a trip to Mars could be as little as a millionth of a gram...

Matter-antimatter propulsion will be the most efficient propulsion ever developed because 100 percent of the mass of the matter and antimatter are converted into energy. When matter and antimatter collide, the energy released by their annihilation releases about 10 billion times the energy that chemical energy such as hydrogen and oxygen combustion...

Matter-antimatter reactions are 1,000 times more powerful than the nuclear fission produced in nuclear power plants and 300 times more powerful than nuclear fusion energy. So, matter-antimatter engines have the potential to take us farther with less fuel. The problem is creating and storing the antimatter.

There are three main components to a matter-antimatter engine:

• Magnetic storage rings - Antimatter must be separated from normal matter so storage rings with magnetic fields can move the antimatter around the ring until it is needed to create energy.
• Feed system - When the spacecraft needs more power, the antimatter will be released to collide with a target of matter, which releases energy.
• Magnetic rocket nozzle thruster - Like a particle collider on Earth, a long magnetic nozzle will move the energy created by the matter-antimatter through a thruster.

Approximately 10 grams of antiprotons would be enough fuel to send a manned spacecraft to Mars in one month. Today, it takes nearly a year for an unmanned spacecraft to reach Mars. In 1996, the Mars Global Surveyor took 11 months to arrive at Mars. Scientists believe that the speed of a matter-antimatter-powered spacecraft would allow man to go where no man has gone before. It would be possible to make trips to Jupiter and even beyond the heliopause...

But it will still be a long time before astronauts are asked to take them to warp speed...

How Antimatter Spacecraft Will Work

Antimatter has the ability to store incredible amounts of energy in a very small space. See how it will work.

science.howstuffworks.com

I pulled you off topic again. This really belongs in Science and Space doesn't it? Here, I'll ask the same question there.

 

[HangLow]

NASA's James Webb Telescope​

Sees Cosmic Clouds of Hot Sand on Mysterious World​

NASA's James Webb Telescope Sees Cosmic Clouds of Hot Sand on Mysterious World

The new high-powered observatory peeked at a place where weather is cloudy with a chance of silicates.

www.cnet.com

The new high-powered observatory peeked at a place where the weather is cloudy with a chance of silicates. Eric Mack Sept. 14, 2022, 4:15 p.m. PT

An illustration of exoplanet VHS 1256b. Gabriel Ángel Pérez Díaz/Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias​

NASA's powerful new James Webb Space Telescope continues to take a closer, more detailed look at corners of the universe, and so far some of the results are just weird. Like the brown dwarf where the atmosphere appears to be filled with clouds of hot sand.

A brown dwarf is an object with a mass between a giant planet like Jupiter and a very small star. This particular one is called VHS 1256b, it's 72 light-years away and almost 20 times more massive than Jupiter.

Most brown dwarfs have characteristics of both stars and planets -- they give off some heat and light like a star but are cooling and often form atmospheres more like that of a planet.

If you're picturing a world where a planetary dust storm kicks up planetwide clouds filled with fine grains from the beach or the desert, it's actually more bizarre than that.

Toasty sand clouds are probably the product of the planet being hot enough to vaporize some of the minerals that form rocks, and those silicate materials then swirl around the atmosphere.

A new study detailing the VHS 1256b findings is part of the Webb Early Science Release Program, which aims to make data from the telescope's observations publicly available as quickly as possible.

 

[HangLow]

Mars Is Mighty in First Webb Observations of Red Planet​

Mars Is Mighty in First Webb Observations of Red Planet – James Webb Space Telescope

blogs.nasa.gov

Editor’s Note:
This post highlights data from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured its first images and spectra of Mars on Sept. 5. The telescope, an international collaboration with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency), provides a unique perspective with its infrared sensitivity on our neighboring planet, complementing data being collected by orbiters, rovers, and other telescopes.

Webb’s unique observation post nearly a million miles away at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2 (L2) provides a view of Mars’ observable disk (the portion of the sunlit side that is facing the telescope). As a result, Webb can capture images and spectra with the spectral resolution needed to study short-term phenomena like dust storms, weather patterns, seasonal changes, and, in a single observation, processes that occur at different times (daytime, sunset, and nighttime) of a Martian day.

Because it is so close, the Red Planet is one of the brightest objects in the night sky in terms of both visible light (which human eyes can see) and the infrared light that Webb is designed to detect. This poses special challenges to the observatory, which was built to detect the extremely faint light of the most distant galaxies in the universe. Webb’s instruments are so sensitive that without special observing techniques, the bright infrared light from Mars is blinding, causing a phenomenon known as “detector saturation.” Astronomers adjusted for Mars’ extreme brightness by using very short exposures, measuring only some of the light that hit the detectors, and applying special data analysis techniques.

Webb’s first images of Mars, captured by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), show a region of the planet’s eastern hemisphere at two different wavelengths, or colors of infrared light. This image shows a surface reference map from NASA and the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on the left, with the two Webb NIRCam instrument field of views overlaid. The near-infrared images from Webb are on shown on the right.

Webb’s first images of Mars were captured by its NIRCam instrument on Sept. 5, 2022
[Guaranteed Time Observation Program 1415].

• Left: Reference map of the observed hemisphere of Mars from NASA and the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA).
• Top right: NIRCam image showing 2.1-micron (F212 filter) reflected sunlight, revealing surface features such as craters and dust layers.
• Bottom right: Simultaneous NIRCam image showing ~4.3-micron (F430M filter) emitted light that reveals temperature differences with latitude and time of day, as well as darkening of the Hellas Basin caused by atmospheric effects. The bright yellow area is just at the saturation limit of the detector.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Mars JWST/GTO team

The NIRCam shorter-wavelength (2.1 microns) image [top right] is dominated by reflected sunlight, and thus reveals surface details similar to those apparent in visible-light images

The rings of the Huygens Crater, the dark volcanic rock of Syrtis Major, and the brightening in the Hellas Basin are all apparent in this image.

 

[HangLow]

James Webb Telescope​

Just Detected A Huge Structure At The Center Of The Milky Way​

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[Ug make hammer]

James Webb Telescope​

Just Detected A Huge Structure At The Center Of The Milky Way​

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You just wasted 2 minutes of my time with a video that isn't at all about "a huge structure at the center of the milky way"

It is an obvious target and I wonder why they haven't done it yet?

 

[HangLow]

You just wasted 2 minutes of my time with a video that isn't at all about "a huge structure at the center of the milky way"

It is an obvious target and I wonder why they haven't done it yet?

Apologies

 

[Ug make hammer]

Apologies

It's OK.

This article at NASA has a nice picture of the Milky Way core, taken by Spitzer:

Milky Way’s Center Will Be Revealed by NASA’s Webb Telescope - NASA

The center of our galaxy is a crowded place: A black hole weighing 4 million times as much as our Sun is surrounded by millions of stars whipping around it at

www.nasa.gov

If I understand correctly, Webb has a much narrower field of view than Spitzer, so the images won't be directly comparable.

In the Spitzer image, or even with the naked eye, you can see the bar of our galaxy. According to this NASA source, we see the bar from about 45 degrees:

Milky Way and Our Location - NASA

Graphic view of our Milky Way Galaxy. The Milky Way Galaxy is organized into spiral arms of giant stars that illuminate interstellar gas and dust. The Sun is in a finger called the Orion Spur.

www.nasa.gov

 

[HangLow]

We Have Our First Look at Neptune's Rings in 33 Years, And They're Glorious​

We Have Our First Look at Neptune's Rings in 33 Years, And They're Glorious

The first picture of Neptune to be taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reveals the latest, greatest details of the ice giant's atmosphere, moons, and rings in infrared wavelengths.

www.sciencealert.com

SPACE 23 September 2022
The full picture shows seven of Neptune's 14 known moons, including a sparkling point of light that is Neptune's largest moon, Triton. (Astronomers suspect that Triton is actually an icy world from the solar system's Kuiper Belt that was captured by Neptune's gravitational field.)

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The Neptune system. In the upper-left is Neptune moon's Triton, sporting Webb's distinctive eight diffraction spikes, an artifact of the telescope's structure. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI))
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Neptune was captured by Webb's NIRCam. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI))

The first picture of Neptune to be taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reveals the latest, greatest details of the ice giant's atmosphere, moons, and rings in infrared wavelengths.

Some of those details – for example, faint bands of dust that encircle Neptune – haven't been brought to light since the Voyager 2 probe zoomed past in 1989.

"It has been three decades since we last saw those faint, dusty bands, and this is the first time we've seen them in the infrared," astronomer Heidi Hammel, an interdisciplinary scientist on the JWST team who specializes in Neptune, said today (Sept. 21) in a news release.

Neptune's brighter rings stand out even more clearly. In visible-light pictures, Neptune shows up as a deep blue dot, thanks to the methane in its atmosphere. But the image from JWST's Near-Infrared Camera, or NIRCam, casts the planet's disk in pearly tones of white. High-altitude clouds of methane ice appear as bright streaks and spots.

A continuous band of high-latitude clouds can be seen surrounding the vortex at Neptune's south pole.

There's also a thin line of brightness at the equator, which the JWST team says could be a visual signature of the global atmospheric circulation that powers Neptune's winds and storms. That warm stream glows more brightly in infrared wavelengths.

 

[HangLow]

Triton is one of the coolest objects in our solar system.
It is so cold that most of Triton's nitrogen is condensed as frost, giving its surface an icy sheen that reflects 70 percent of the sunlight that hits it.

 

[gboisjo]

The difference between Hubble and Webb plain and simple.

The Orion Nebula.

 

[gboisjo]

Triton is one of the coolest objects in our solar system.
It is so cold that most of Triton's nitrogen is condensed as frost, giving its surface an icy sheen that reflects 70 percent of the sunlight that hits it.

A color mosaic of Triton, taken in 1989 by Voyager 2 during its flyby of the Neptune system. Color was synthesized by combining high-resolution images taken through orange, violet, and ultraviolet filters; these images were displayed as red, green, and blue images and combined to create this color version. With a radius of 1,350 km (839 mi), about 22% smaller than Earth's moon.

It is the only large moon in the Solar System with a retrograde orbit, an orbit in the direction opposite to its planet's rotation. Because of its retrograde orbit and composition similar to Pluto, Triton is thought to have been a dwarf planet, captured from the Kuiper belt.

 

[HangLow]

A color mosaic of Triton, taken in 1989 by Voyager 2 during its flyby of the Neptune system. Color was synthesized by combining high-resolution images taken through orange, violet, and ultraviolet filters; these images were displayed as red, green, and blue images and combined to create this color version. With a radius of 1,350 km (839 mi), about 22% smaller than Earth's moon.

It is the only large moon in the Solar System with a retrograde orbit, an orbit in the direction opposite to its planet's rotation. Because of its retrograde orbit and composition similar to Pluto, Triton is thought to have been a dwarf planet, captured from the Kuiper belt.

This is so cool; someone made a meme... that is rare...
-Peace

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[HangLow]

 

[HangLow]

James Webb Space Telescope's first image
BBC
'Shiny, sparkly object' in James Webb's space image 18 hours ago

Space.com
James Webb Space Telescope spots 'Sparkler Galaxy' that could host the universe's 1st stars 1 day ago

Live Science
James Webb telescope reveals the 'bones' of a distant galaxy in a stunning new image 1 day ago

James Webb and Hubble observe asteroid impact
Space.com
DART impact is seen through the eyes of Webb and Hubble 1 day ago

Live Science
DART asteroid collision captured by Hubble and James Webb telescopes 1 day ago

NASA
Webb, Hubble Capture Detailed Views of DART Impact 1 day ago

 

[HangLow]

Nature
'Bit of panic': Astronomers forced to rethink early Webb telescope findings Astronomers have been so keen to use the new James Webb Space Telescope that some have got a little ahead of themselves. 2 days ago

SciTechDaily
Webb Space Telescope Reveals Richest and Closest Star Nursery in the Solar System James Webb Space Telescope's first images of the Orion Nebula, the richest and closest star nursery in the solar system, have just been... 6 days ago

Sky News
James Webb's space telescope captures Neptune's rings and moons The images provided by NASA show Neptune with seven of its 14 moons in space - the first time astronomers have observed its rings in three... 1 week ago

 

[HangLow]

Fox News
James Webb Space Telescope captures stunning images of Neptune, rings NASA shared stunning images from the James Webb Space Telescope of Neptune and its surrounding rings. The ice giant and its moons were... 1 week ago

CBS News
James Webb Space Telescope captures a stunning new image of Neptune and its rings: "It's just absolutely remarkable" Webb's unprecedented infrared imaging capabilities provide a new glimpse into the farthest planet from the sun. 1 week ago

The Indian Express
James Webb Space Telescope runs into a technical issue NASA is correctly investigating an issue with the James Webb Space Telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) instrument. 1 week ago

CBS News
Webb telescope, Hubble, and more: The 60 most amazing photos so far James Webb Space Telescope in outer space on the orbit of Earth planet. Credit: Getty Images. The James Webb Space Telescope was launched on Dec... 3 days ago

Quiz of the week: Which planet did James Webb telescope capture?

 

[HangLow]

View attachment 90886
Astronomy Magazine
James Webb images get an X-ray boost from Chandra data
... our interest — or our news cycle — is quite like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). And some of its latest photos are no exception. 15 hours ago


View attachment 90890
Forbes
See The Best Webb Telescope Images So Far Now With New ‘X-Ray Vision’ Layers
Images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) with an added X-ray ... They include its ground-breaking observations of a cluster of... 1 day ago


View attachment 90892
Northrop Grumman Newsroom
Northrop Grumman-built James Webb Space Telescope and ...
... Chandra X-Ray Observatory Help Scientists See the Universe in New Ways ... the James Webb Space Telescope was released today from NASA,...2 days ago
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiec...ages-so-far-now-with-new-x-ray-vision-layers/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiec...ages-so-far-now-with-new-x-ray-vision-layers/