Stars and space, humanity’s oldest dream
Stars and the universe are humans’ oldest dreams and objects of curiosity. Efforts to explore that unknown world began a long time ago. In 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope, called the largest project in astronomy’s history, was launched and is collecting new information about the universe. It has already been more than a year since the first space photo observed by James Webb, a collection of cutting-edge technologies, was released. Since its launch, it has been showing various aspects of the universe, including planets in the solar system, the birth and death of stars, and distant galaxies. Now, let’s learn about stars and space through the photos sent by James Webb.
James Webb, the largest space telescope ever built
Before that, let’s learn about the James Webb Telescope.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest space telescope in history, with a reflecting mirror with a diameter of 6.5 meters and a sunshade the size of a tennis court below that blocks sunlight. James Webb can observe the universe farther than the Hubble Space Telescope. Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, which observed the visible and near-infrared spectrum, James Webb is also capable of observing the long-wavelength infrared band.
Over the past year, James Webb has captured new images of thousands of galaxies in space, nebulae known as the cradle of stars, and planets in our solar system. High-resolution photos released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) capture the mysterious appearance of space. It will be more helpful to appreciate the photos taken by James Webb if you go over concepts such as stars, planets, and galaxies.
A star that emits its own light
First of all, when we think of stars, we think of twinkling dots in the night sky. However, stars are divided into stars, planets, and satellites. A fixed star means ‘a star that is always in the same place’, and in English it is called a star. Stars such as the Sun and the North Star are classified as fixed stars. Are the stars really not moving? The correct answer is ‘no’. In the past, the Sun and Polaris were thought to be stationary, but as science progressed, it was revealed that the Sun also orbits the galaxy.
Additionally, the biggest characteristic that distinguishes stars from planets and satellites is that they emit their own light. Because stars have a very large mass, the core inside them undergoes a nuclear fusion reaction, generating enough heat and pressure to produce light energy.
planet orbiting a star
So what is a planet? Planet means ‘moving celestial body’, and in English it is called Planet. Planets like our Earth get their name because they orbit around a star. There are eight planets in the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. I explained earlier that stars can emit their own light. In contrast, planets are characterized by shining by reflecting light from outside.
Asteroids, satellites, comets, galaxies and nebulae
In addition to this, there are asteroids in space that are smaller than planets, satellites that orbit planets, and comets that appear with long, pretty tails.
The solar system we commonly refer to is a system that includes the sun, which emits its own light, planets such as Earth, Mars, and Jupiter that revolve around the sun, and satellites such as the moon that orbit around the Earth.
Also, the galaxy to which our solar system belongs is called our galaxy. The galaxy, a group of numerous stars, is also called the Milky Way because it crosses the sky in a hazy band. The Milky Way is called Milky Way in English.
Lastly, let’s look at the nebula. A nebula is a cloud made up of dust, hydrogen, helium, and gas gathered in space. Nebulae, which look like huge clouds from a distance, are known to be the source of star formation.
Until the day we find the answer to the universe
The photo taken by James Webb clearly captures the beautiful image of the universe with countless stars, nebulae, and galaxies. In addition to this, the James Webb Space Telescope has the important mission of observing the distant universe that we do not yet know about. Aren’t you looking forward to James Webb’s future activities?
But James Webb is just the beginning. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid Space Telescope was launched in July this year, raising expectations that it would create a 3D map of the universe. In addition, in the next few years, high-performance space telescopes such as NASA’s ‘Nancy Grace Roman’ and the European Space Agency’s ‘Plato’ will be launched one after another, spurring space research. In the era of advancing science, I look forward to the day when humanity will find the answers to the universe that it has been searching for so long.
