James Webb Space Telescope: More high-definition photos made available

GREENBELT, Md. — NASA officials gathered on Tuesday to release additional images from the James Webb Space Telescope, which included stunning images of a dying star.

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Carina Nebula This landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.

The latest images showed parts of the universe from the telescope’s distant location off Earth and the telescope’s use of the infrared light spectrum showed these regions in a new light, according to The Associated Press.

“Every image is a new discovery and each will give humanity a view of the humanity that we’ve never seen before. The formation of stars, devouring black holes,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.

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The images were released individually at an event at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

On Monday, the first image from the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope was unveiled, giving humanity its the deepest ever look into the universe.

The “deep field” image is filled with lots of stars, with massive galaxies in the foreground and faint and extremely distant galaxies peeking through, according to AP.

Part of the image is light from not too long after the Big Bang, which was 13.8 billion years ago.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s biggest and most powerful space telescope. In 2021, it lifted off from French Guiana in South America. According to the AP, it reached its orbit 1 million miles from Earth in January. Then the lengthy process began to align its mirrors, get its infrared detectors cold enough to operate and calibrate its science instruments, all protected by a sunshade the size of a tennis court that keeps the telescope cool.

The European and Canadian space agencies joined NASA in building the telescope.

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