File:Webb's First Deep Field (NIRSpec MSA Emission Spectra) (52210553347).png
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editDescriptionWebb's First Deep Field (NIRSpec MSA Emission Spectra) (52210553347).png |
NASA’s Webb Telescope has yet another discovery machine aboard – the Near-Infrared Spectrograph’s (NIRSpec’s) microshutter array. This instrument has more than 248,000 tiny doors that can be individually opened to gather spectra (light) of up to approximately 150 individual objects simultaneously. Of the thousands of distant galaxies behind galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, NIRSpec observed 48 individually – all at the same time – in a field that is approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length. Quick analysis made it immediately clear that several of these galaxies were observed as they existed at very early periods in the history of the universe, which is estimated to be 13.8 billion years old. Look for the same feature highlighted in each spectrum. Three lines appear in the same order every time – one hydrogen line followed by two ionized oxygen lines. Where this pattern falls on each spectrum tells researchers the redshift of individual galaxies, revealing how long ago their light was emitted. Light from the farthest galaxy shown traveled 13.1 billion years before Webb’s mirrors captured it. These observations mark the first time these particular emission lines have been seen at such immense distances – and these are only Webb’s initial observations. There may be even more distant galaxies in this image! In these spectra, Webb has also shown us the chemical composition of galaxies in the very early universe for the first time. This was made possible by the telescope’s position in space – far away from Earth’s atmosphere, which filters out some infrared light – and its specialization in gathering high-resolution near-infrared light. And since similar spectra from galaxies at closer distances have long been studied by other space- and ground-based observatories, astronomers already know a lot about the properties of nearby galaxies. Now, astronomers will be able to study and compare spectra from Webb to determine how galaxies have changed over billions of years, dating back to the early universe. With Webb’s data, researchers can now measure each galaxy’s distance, temperature, gas density, and chemical composition. We will soon learn an incredible amount about galaxies that existed all across cosmic time! Want to capture your own spectra with Webb’s microshutter array? Learn how scientists use the instrument by “taking” your own observations with this interactive and analyze the spectra it returns. For a full array of Webb’s first images and spectra, including downloadable files, please visit: webbtelescope.org/news/first-images NIRSpec was built for the European Space Agency (ESA) by a consortium of European companies led by Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center providing its detector and micro-shutter subsystems. Credits: IMAGE: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI Image description: An infographic titled “Galaxy Cluster SMACS 0723, Webb Spectra Identify Galaxies in the Very Early Universe; NIRCam Imaging and NIRSpec Microshutter Array Spectroscopy.” At left is a NIRCam image of the field, which is filled with galaxies of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Four galaxies from this image are highlighted, and labeled: 11.3 billion years, 12.6 billion years, 13.0 billion years, 13.1 billion years to indicate when the observed light was emitted. In inset images, these galaxies appear blurry and have red areas. To the right are four line graphs corresponding to the four highlighted galaxies. These are labeled NIRSpec Microshutter Array Spectroscopy. They show the shift in the position of hydrogen and oxygen emission lines to longer wavelengths as age of the light increases. |
Date | |
Source | Webb's First Deep Field (NIRSpec MSA Emission Spectra) |
Author | NASA's James Webb Space Telescope from Greenbelt, MD, USA |
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by James Webb Space Telescope at https://flickr.com/photos/50785054@N03/52210553347. It was reviewed on 6 June 2023 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0. |
6 June 2023
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