James Webb Telescope

[W.D.Clinger]

Astronomers Say They Have Spotted the Universe’s First Stars

The following was posted in another thread, but it's more relevant to this thread and to Puppycow's link:

https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.11413

A massive quiescent galaxy at redshift 4.658

The ellipses and gray text are my edits. The bold face is as in the original abstract.

Abstract​

We report the spectroscopic confirmation of a massive quiescent galaxy, GS-9209 at a new redshift record of z = 4.658, just 1.25 Gyr after the Big Bang, using new deep continuum observations from JWST NIRSpec. From our full-spectral-fitting analysis, we find that this galaxy formed its stellar population over a ≃ 200 Myr period, approximately 600 − 800 Myr after the Big Bang (z_form = 7.3 ± 0.2), before quenching at z_quench = 6.7 ± 0.3. GS-9209 demonstrates unambiguously that massive galaxy formation was already well underway within the first billion years of cosmic history, with this object having reached a stellar mass of [greater than 10 billion suns] by z = 7. This galaxy also clearly demonstrates that the earliest onset of galaxy quenching was no later than ≃ 800 Myr after the Big Bang....it hosts an active galactic nucleus (AGN), for which we measure a black-hole mass of [400 to 630 million suns]....This intriguing object offers perhaps our deepest insight yet into massive galaxy formation and quenching during the first billion years of cosmic history.

 

[jonesdave116]

Closer to home, meanwhile......

A collection of 21 papers recently released on the observations of star forming regions in galaxies using JWST, combined with results from other instruments;

The Astrophysical Journal Letters

PHANGS–JWST First Results

All the papers are listed and linked in the article, and all are open access.

https://iopscience.iop.org/collections/2041-8205_PHANGS-JWST-First-Results

 

[Puppycow]

The latest results from JWST. (If you want to skip 5:30 onwards)

There's a deep field image containing 50,000 galaxies apparently. If you have the bandwidth, it's like close to 200 MB for the full size image. The angular area is only about 1/5th the size of a full moon.

Relevent paper

Image here (you can select whether to download the full size image or something smaller).

 

[rjh01]

The latest results from JWST. (If you want to skip 5:30 onwards)

There's a deep field image containing 50,000 galaxies apparently. If you have the bandwidth, it's like close to 200 MB for the full size image. The angular area is only about 1/5th the size of a full moon.

Relevent paper

Image here (you can select whether to download the full size image or something smaller).

Thanks for the link to the 50,000 galaxies. Could not find it elsewhere.

 

[Pixel42]

The JWST has now been operating for a year.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jul/15/scientists-james-webb-space-telescope-birth-stars

Among the objects caught in the telescope’s giant mirror is one that turns out to be the oldest known galaxy in the universe. The prosaically named JADES-GS-z13-0 appears as it did a mere 320m years after the big bang, long before the creation of our own planet. It also turns out to be tiny compared with our own galaxy, yet it was clearly creating new stars at a rate comparable to the Milky Way.

Intriguingly, this stellar fecundity is shared by several other ancient galaxies photographed by the James Webb telescope (JWST). These snapshots of the infant universe show that the first stars and galaxies had already formed and were evolving much earlier than most scientists had expected.

“These galaxies are very, very young yet they have already become hotbeds for star formation. It’s remarkable,” said Prof Brant Robertson, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

This enthusiasm was shared by Kevin Hainline, an astronomer at the University of Arizona, Tucson. “We have observed the earliest galaxies in the universe and it has been thrilling,” he told the Observer. “It has opened an entirely new chapter in the history of astronomy. It is telling us the universe was dynamic from the beginning.”

 

[smartcooky]

The JWST has now been operating for a year.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jul/15/scientists-james-webb-space-telescope-birth-stars

Cosmic timeline...

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[arthwollipot]

Why does the diagram go backward?

 

[Blue Mountain]

Why does the diagram go backward?

It's demonstrating the ability of the JWST to peer backwards in time toward the Big Bang.

 

[arthwollipot]

It's demonstrating the ability of the JWST to peer backwards in time toward the Big Bang.

Ah, I see. Thanks.

 

[Puppycow]

If you haven't seen the recent images, catch up:



Webb finds giant question mark in deep space Can you find it. (You'll probably need to zoom in to spot it)
Or see here if you don't want to try to find it yourself.

Gallery

 

[3point14]

You may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist...

 

[Puppycow]

You may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist...

 

[Ryan O'Dine]

If you haven't seen the recent images, catch up:



Webb finds giant question mark in deep space Can you find it. (You'll probably need to zoom in to spot it)
Or see here if you don't want to try to find it yourself.

Gallery

If they can find the rest of the sentence, they may be onto something.

 

[Steve]

If they can find the rest of the sentence, they may be onto something.

What is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything?

 

[Puppycow]

Exoplanet may be ocean world

This is potentially very interesting:

Exoplanet's surface may be covered in oceans, James Webb Space Telescope finds

In addition to turning up carbon molecules, the JWST findings also showed the possible presence of something potentially more exciting in the atmosphere of K2–18 b.

The space telescope seems to have detected dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which on Earth is only produced as a by-product of life, mainly created by phytoplankton. The team is cautious about this detection, which is far less certain than the presence of carbon molecules. "Upcoming Webb observations should be able to confirm if DMS is indeed present in the atmosphere of K2–18 b at significant levels," explained Madhusudhan.

It's bigger than earth. About 2 to 3 times the radius and 8.6 times the mass of earth. Depending on whether the radius is closer to 2 or to 3 times the earth's, that could be anywhere from about the same as earth gravity to about twice earth gravity. For ocean-dwelling creatures with approximately neutral buoyancy that wouldn't really matter, but it would matter if there is any land or if you want to launch a spaceship from the surface. So far I don't think we've really found strong evidence for an ocean world until now. But if it is an ocean world, and there really is dimethyl sulfide, there's a pretty good case that life probably exists there. Probably not a technological civilization though, but at least something like algae and/or phytoplankton.

 

[crescent]

.... But if it is an ocean world, and there really is dimethyl sulfide, there's a pretty good case that life probably exists there. Probably not a technological civilization though, but at least something like algae and/or phytoplankton.

I don't know. Something about this claim just smells off.

 

[Puppycow]

I don't know. Something about this claim just smells off.

True. It is not a pleasant smelling molecule, unless you are a carrion-feeder.

Dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and dimethyl trisulfide have been found among the volatiles given off by the fly-attracting plant known as dead-horse arum (Helicodiceros muscivorus). Those compounds are components of an odor like rotting meat, which attracts various pollinators that feed on carrion, such as many species of flies.[17]

 

[Puppycow]

A different article about the same planet, this one from the BBC:

Tantalising sign of possible life on faraway world

 

[Puppycow]

Webb snaps supersonic outflow of young star

[IMGW=800]https://cdn.esawebb.org/archives/images/screen/weic2322a.jpg[/IMGW]

Featured in this image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope is Herbig-Haro 211 (HH 211), a bipolar jet travelling through interstellar space at supersonic speeds. At roughly 1,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Perseus, the object is one of the youngest and nearest protostellar outflows, making it an ideal target for Webb.

 

[rjh01]

JWST has made the "Crisis in Cosmology" WORSE (AGAIN). YouTube by Dr. Becky.
https://youtu.be/s2gFkKDMdXg?si=Xzruc1v76U_Rp_NG&t=1220

For those that do not know there are two ways of estimating the age of the universe. And they give different results. Their margins of error do not overlap. Not even close.