Space agency Nasa released stunning, full-colour images of the distant cosmos this week.
The new images reveal a view of a “stellar nursery”, a roaring sphere of gas around a dying star and a “cosmic dance” between a group of galaxies.
Another image released on Monday gave the clearest view yet of distant galaxies and light from 13 billion years ago
The images were taken by the James Webb Space Telescope – the successor to the famous Hubble Space Telescope.
Its key goals include taking pictures of the very first stars to shine in the Universe and finding habitable planets beyond our solar system.
This image below shows the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago, with many more galaxies in front of and behind the cluster.
Scientists say it is teeming with thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared.
Webb’s image is approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length, a tiny sliver of the vast universe:
Take Five: Captured in exquisite detail, @NASAWebb peered through the thick dust of Stephan’s Quintet, a galaxy cluster showing huge shockwaves and tidal tails. This is a front-row seat to galactic evolution: https://t.co/63zxpNDi4I #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/em9wSJPkEU
— NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022
Cosmic cliffs & a sea of stars. @NASAWebb reveals baby stars in the Carina Nebula, where ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds shape colossal walls of dust and gas. https://t.co/63zxpNDi4I #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/dXCokBAYGQ
— NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022
Some stars go out with a bang. In these images of the Southern Ring planetary nebula, @NASAWebb shows a dying star cloaked by dust and layers of light. Explore this star's final performance at https://t.co/63zxpNDi4I #UnfoldTheUniverse. pic.twitter.com/dfzrpvrewQ
— NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022
Never forget that you ARE a sky full of stars. The same stuff that makes these heavenly views lives in you. #UnfoldTheUniverse https://t.co/n0ppbFo0pj https://t.co/uEXxBvysiX
— NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022
