The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has made many discoveries so far, but the telescope, which was developed with the technology of about 20 years ago, is now completing its task. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which replaces Hubble, incorporates current technologies and offers a different perspective on the universe.
JWST was launched last December and started recording its first images after long preparations. Recently, the first color images captured by JWST that can be used for scientific research were shared. With these images, the differences between HST and JWST have also emerged.
Carina Nebula
This image, dubbed “Cosmic Cliffs” by NASA, shows mainly the young, star-forming region of NGC 3324, located on the inner edge of the Carina Nebula. Coming from about 7,600 light-years away, this image will shed light on the star formation process.
Above is the Hubble image created with data collected between 2006 and 2008. The image below, captured by JWST in infrared light, reveals for the first time previously invisible stellar birth fields.
Southern Ring Nebula(NGC 3132)
About 2,500 light-years away, NGC 3132, also known as the Southern Ring Nebula, contains a dying star and its surrounding gas cloud. A fainter star is forming the gas cloud, seen right next to the bright central star. Looking at the images, the blue colors represent the hottest gas confined to the inner region of the nebula, while the red colors represent the coldest gas located at the outer edge.
The JWST image on the right, as opposed to the Hubble image on the left taken in 1998, will provide a clearer view of the nebula and will enable studies of how stars evolve and transform their environments.
Stephen’s Quintet
The Stephan Quintet consists of four interacting galaxies 290 million light-years from Earth (NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B and NGC 7319) and the spiral galaxy NGC 7320, which is 40 million light-years away and is closer to the quartet.
The Hubble image on the left was released in 2009, while the image of the Stephan Quintet from James Webb on the right is the largest image ever published. Containing more than 150 million pixels and created from nearly 1,000 separate image files, the image will help examine how interacting galaxies trigger star formation within each other.
SMACS 0723
Launched as “Webb’s First Deep Field,” the SMACS 0723 galaxy cluster contains thousands of galaxies. The image of the galaxy cluster provides a glimpse into the past more than 13 billion years.
Recorded by Webb’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), this image is the result of combining a total of 12.5 hours of recording. While the Hubble and James Webb images look similar, JWST offers a view of thousands of distant galaxies in unprecedented detail. Scientists will be able to learn more about the masses, ages, formation dates and compositions of the oldest galaxies.
Why do differences in Hubble and James Webb’s images occur?
The James Webb Space Telescope serves as the scientific successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. While Hubble has some infrared capabilities, it primarily conducts its investigations at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths. In contrast, James Webb studies the universe in infrared.
Another difference between the two space telescopes is in their light-gathering areas. JWST’s primary mirror is much larger than HST’s primary mirror. James Webb has a primary mirror with a diameter of about 6.5 meters, while Hubble’s mirror is less than 2.4 meters in diameter.
Another difference is the positions of the telescopes. Hubble orbits Earth at a distance of about 570 km, while James Webb orbits L2 (Lagrange point 2) at a distance of 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
As James Webb is an infrared telescope, the size and location of the light collecting area allow him to observe galaxies earlier than Hubble.
USA and Russia partnered for flights to ISS
The first full-color scientific images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope represent the official beginning of the telescope’s general science operations. Webb will play an important role in uncovering the infrared universe.
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