That James Webb telescope picture was awesome, but wait until they zoom out
We were given an incredible new glimpse into the history of the universe today with Nasa’s first image from the James Web space telescope.
The picture shows unimaginably far-flung galaxies as they were 13bn years ago and jaw-dropping doesn’t quite cover it.
👀 Sneak a peek at the deepest & sharpest infrared image of the early universe ever taken — all in a day’s work for the Webb telescope. (Literally, capturing it took less than a day!) This is Webb’s first image released as we begin to #UnfoldTheUniverse: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B pic.twitter.com/Y7ebmQwT7j
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 11, 2022
But wait for the moment in this video – about 10 seconds from the end – when they hit the ‘zoom out’ button.
Here’s a 1-minute video showing–in the words of visualization hero @EdwardTufte–the “compared to what” factor for today’s amazing @NASAWebb image. Thanks to the @WWTelescope for making this possible, and @ADavidWeigel. I only wish @NASA and @POTUS had shown the image this way! https://t.co/ThqLJqCUMa pic.twitter.com/4Yd6CIRcst
— Alyssa A. Goodman (@AlyssaAGoodman) July 12, 2022
And here it is again, done slightly slower this time.
How small is the #JWST field in that amazing image?
We heard “like a grain of sand, at arms length” ….
Here’s what that looks like!
It’s tiny when compared to even some nearby galaxies. Imagine all the sky covered in galaxies!
Credit: https://t.co/Q3jYzdYkN0 pic.twitter.com/ogzwT2PYz7
— Rami Mandow 🏳️🌈 (@CosmicRami) July 12, 2022
Don’t just take our word for it, here’s someone who actually knows what he’s talking about.
https://twitter.com/astro_timpeake/status/1546800710502719494?s=20&t=MtjpRYg8RSmf5SquYGaJRw
Ah yes …
And here are just a few of the other things people were saying about it today.
The zoom-out is going to destroy you. https://t.co/FvmXli6GC8
— Ian Dunt (@IanDunt) July 12, 2022
https://twitter.com/mikegalsworthy/status/1546804812129488897?s=20&t=AVOPiIlyjH-EyGLPtVuyPg
https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1546740377041809408?s=20&t=FrZPGGTrNfVyvmJLJUok5g
HUBBLE vs JWST: Here's the difference. Welcome to a new era of astronomy. pic.twitter.com/ATIOhc2mnQ
— Ian Lauer (@ianlauerastro) July 11, 2022
I had to make a before and after to really appreciate how good the James Webb Telescope really is. pic.twitter.com/dj0HL8XGaZ
— Jason Short (@jason4short) July 11, 2022
WANT MORE POKE?
Get the best of the day’s posts delivered direct to you by joining The Poke+ on Facebook
Source Twitter @AlyssaAGoodman @NASAWebb
