13 Jul 2022

NASA images used to study dusty stars at Auckland University

From Afternoons, 1:20 pm on 13 July 2022

"Images of an unseen universe" have been released by NASA today and yesterday.

The images are taken by the James Webb Space Telescope and give the sharpest and deepest detail we've ever had.

The latest picture reveals previously invisible areas of star birth. Jan Elderidge is head of the Physics Department at the University of Auckland. She talks to Jesse about how she's using the data.

This image released by NASA on July 12, 2022, from the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shows never-before-seen details of Stephan’s Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies. MIRI pierced through dust-enshrouded regions to reveal huge shock waves and tidal tails, gas and stars stripped from the outer regions of the galaxies by interactions. It also unveiled hidden areas of star formation. The new information from MIRI provides invaluable insights into how galactic interactions may have driven galaxy evolution in the early universe. - The JWST is the most powerful telescope launched into space and it reached its final orbit around the sun, approximately 930,000 miles from Earths orbit, in January, 2022. The technological improvements of the JWST and distance from the sun will allow scientists to see much deeper into our universe with greater...

Photo: AFP

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NASA images used to study dusty stars at Auckland University

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