NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made a groundbreaking discovery, determining the distances of 200 previously unknown galaxies from Earth. This achievement is a result of JWST’s inaugural masterpiece, the “Webb’s First Deep Field” image, which captured over 7,000 galaxies and provided valuable insights into the evolution of galaxies.
Dr. Gaël Noirot and a team of astronomers from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada, used JWST’s NIRISS instrument to not only locate nearly 200 galaxies but also measure their distances from Earth. This cosmic game of “Guess the Distance” involves utilizing a technique called “redshift,” which determines the distance of galaxies based on the colors they emit.
In addition to discovering the distances of these galaxies, the team also identified three new galaxy clusters located billions of light-years away. Observing these clusters across different cosmic eras allows astronomers to study their evolution from their early stages to the present.
One particular star in the cosmic show is the Sparkler galaxy, which is described as a disco ball in space filled with stars. It is part of a galaxy family residing in one of the newly discovered cosmic neighborhoods. This revelation provides new insights into the formation of star communities in the early universe.
The CANUCS team’s work on Webb’s First Deep Field and the spectroscopic catalogue created from their findings will be a valuable resource for the astronomical community and open up new avenues of research. Their study has been published in the October 2023 issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
With each new discovery, the JWST continues to unveil the mysteries of the universe, acting as a time machine that takes us on a journey through cosmic epochs. The Webb’s First Deep Field image and subsequent findings have revolutionized our understanding of galaxies and their evolution.
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