On my phone is a slightly blurry photo of a distant, unnamed galaxy. It's a little white smudge with spiral arms like sheep's wool fluff-one galaxy among thousands of others in the James Webb Space Telescope's (JWST) new breathtakingly detailed image of the distant cosmos and I can't stop staring at it. There is nothing especially remarkable about this little white swirl; it's not the largest or sharpest or most perfectly rendered or in any way most interesting galaxy in the image. But before JWST, no human had ever really seen it. I am seeing it now, fully and completely, and it is beautiful.
JWST is going to show us a lot of things we've never seen before. The selection of images (and one spectrum) in the telescope's science image debut were chosen to showcase all the ways in which this project will change our view and understanding fundamentally of the Universe.
The first picture to be released, in a special presentation with US President Joe Biden on Monday night, brought us a giant galaxy cluster embedded in a skyscape scattered with enough distant background galaxies including my own tiny spiral - to rival the deepest of the Hubble Deep Fields. What took Hubble a week and a half, JWST did "before breakfast", according to Dr Jane Rigby, JWST's operations project scientist.
Denne historien er fra Summer 2022-utgaven av BBC Science Focus.
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2022-utgaven av BBC Science Focus.
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THE HUNGER GAME
Obesity is on the rise, but as we blame our unhealthy food-ridden environment and look to wonder drugs to get rid of unwanted fat, what role do our genetics play?
HOW THE UNIVERSE WILL END
A colossal supercollider now in the early stages of development may one day help us predict the ultimate fate of the Universe. With it, scientists will be trying to find a hidden instability built into the fabric of existence... an instability that could destroy everything
DARK ENERGY MIGHT BE ABOUT TO THROW A SPANNER IN THE WORKS
The most mysterious phenomenon in the Universe could be about to spring another surprise on us
TAKE-OFF AT LAST
AFTER A LONG WAIT, THE WORLD'S FIRST ZERO EMISSIONS AEROPLANES ARE FINALLY TAXIING TO REALITY. BUT ARE THEY THE SOLUTION WE NEED?
INSIDE THE 3D, NANOSCALE ATLAS THAT REVEALS A FRACTION OF THE HUMAN BRAIN
The map is now the highest-resolution picture of the human brain ever created
HOW THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT IN NUCLEAR FORENSICS MAY HELP CLEAN UP CHERNOBYL
Contrary to popular belief, radioactive material doesn't glow. But a team of nuclear forensics experts are working on a device to make it do just that. BBC Science Focus's Noa Leach meets the scientists behind the innovative device
MAJOR STUDY SHOWS HOW ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS CHANGE YOUR LIFESPAN, IF YOU'RE NOT EATING YOUR VEG
While ultra-processed food is bad for your health, a decades-long study suggests it may not be as harmful as previously thought
ORIGIN OF EARTH'S 'SECOND MOON' DISCOVERED
Asteroid sampling mission will confirm whether moon-like Kamo'oalewa came from our Moon
INTERMITTENT FASTING AND CORRECTLY TIMED WORKOUTS ARE KEY TO FAT LOSS, SAYS STUDY
A new approach to dieting and exercise could help you lose weight and enhance your health
MASSIVE EXPLOSION SPOTTED ON MYSTERIOUS DEAD STAR
A satellite in the right place at the right time captured an important cosmic sight
