These stunning images captured by NASA’s James Webb Telescope are a treat for space lovers

Described as the world’s most powerful telescope, NASA’s James Webb telescope has captured some stunning images of our universe this year, leaving space lovers mesmerized. The next-generation observatory, priced at $10 billion, was launched atop an Ariane 5 rocket from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana on December 25, 2021. Named after a former director of NASA, Webb follows in the footsteps of the legendary Hubble, but offers a view of the universe that was previously inaccessible to us. Webb is about 100 times more powerful than Hubble.

On its first anniversary, here are 5 incredible images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in 2022 that have revolutionized space imaging.

The deepest infrared image of the early universe

In its first image taken in July 2022, Webb revealed the “deepest and sharpest infrared image of the early universe” ever taken, dating back 13 billion years. The stunning plan, which was unveiled at a White House briefing by President Joe Biden, showed thousands of galaxies overflowing and featured the faintest objects ever observed, colored from infrared to shades of blue, orange and white. The image showed the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago, with many more galaxies in front and behind the cluster.

Carina Nebula

The same month, the telescope revealed emerging stellar nurseries and individual stars in the previously obscured Carina Nebula. Called the Cosmic Cliffs, Webb’s seemingly three-dimensional image looks like rugged mountains on a moonlit evening. It’s actually the edge of the gas giant cavity inside NGC 3324, and the tallest “peaks” in this image are about 7 light-years high.

The rings of Neptune

In September 2022, the telescope captured the clearest view of Neptune’s rings in more than 30 years. In 1989, NASA’s Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to capture an image of Neptune. According to NASA, not only did Webb capture the clearest view of this distant planet’s rings since the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by in 1989, but its cameras also revealed the ice giant in a whole new light . Webb also captured seven of Neptune’s 14 known moons.

The Chariot Wheel Galaxy

In August 2022, Webb’s powerful infrared gaze produced this detailed image of the Cartwheel and two smaller companion galaxies against a backdrop of many other galaxies. The image offered a new perspective on the galaxy’s evolution over billions of years, according to a NASA statement. The Cartwheel Galaxy, located about 500 million light-years away in the constellation of the Sculptor, is a rare sight. Its wagon wheel-like appearance is the result of an intense event: a high-speed collision between a large spiral galaxy and a smaller galaxy not visible in this image.

The pillars of creation

In October 2022, the James Webb Telescope captured a lush and highly detailed landscape: the iconic “Pillars of Creation.” The twinkling of thousands of stars illuminates the first telescope photo of the gigantic columns of gold, copper and brown that lie in the middle of the cosmos The “Pillars of Creation” are 6,500 light-years from Earth, in the Eagle Nebula in our Milky Way galaxy.