You – loyal readers of Scientias.nl – have spoken: the most beautiful space photo of this year is – again! – created by James Webb.
As per tradition, it was possible from Christmas Day onwards Scientias.nl once again be voted on for the most beautiful space photo of the year. And we knew that! Hundreds of people cast their votes in recent days, resulting in an obvious winner: the photo below!
Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Klaus Pontoppidan (STScI).
First place
The winning photo was taken – just like last year – by space telescope James Webb. The American and European space agencies released the photo in July this year, celebrating Webb’s ‘first birthday’. At that time it was exactly one year ago that James Webb became operational. The photo highlights a star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi multiple galaxy. The area is home to as many as 50 newborn stars. And some of those stars are surrounded by shadows that hint at the presence of protoplanetary disks from which planets could also be born in the long term.
Second place
James Webb immortalizing young stars: that apparently went down well with you. Because in second place we find another photo by James Webb, on which – yes – once again shines a star in the making. It is a truly spectacular photo of Herbig-Haro object 211. Herbig-Haro objects are small emission nebulae surrounding young stars that are formed when newly formed stars eject gas. That gas collides at high speed with other gas and dust clouds in the area, creating the nebulae that you see in this photo.
Image: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, Tom Ray (Dublin).
Third place
And also in third place we find a photo of James Webb and once again young stars take center stage. In this photo we see a pair of actively forming stars known as Herbig-Haro 46/47. The newborn stars are right in the middle, within the orange-white spot, buried deep in a disk of gas and dust that they feed on (and continue to grow in mass). What is also very striking, of course, are the two jet streams fanning out from the actively forming stars (in fiery orange). It is material that the stars have spewed out.
Image: NASA, ESA, CSA. Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI).
Fourth place
In fourth place we also find a breathtaking photo, which for a change was not taken by James Webb. The photo – taken by the recently repaired Gemini North telescope – stars the Windmill Galaxy, aka Messier 101. The galaxy is home to nearly a trillion stars and the closest supernova observed in the past five years. The aftermath is also clearly visible in the photo: the bright spot in the spiral arm on the left of the photo.
Afbeelding: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA.
Fifth place
In fifth place is another photo by James Webb. And of the Crab Nebula: one of the best-known supernova remnants. At the heart of the nebula, a neutron star – or pulsar – rotates on its axis thirty times every second. The nebula has been captured thousands of times, yet James Webb manages to surprise both scientists and enthusiasts with his extremely detailed image.
Afbeelding: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, T. Temim (Princeton University).
Sixth place
It’s almost starting to get boring, but in 6th place we find another photo of James Webb. And on it shines something that we had never seen before – unlike the Crab Nebula mentioned above: two star-forming regions in the nearby – and already widely studied – Small Magellanic Cloud. In the dusty ‘ribbons’ in this photo, astronomers found indications that many new stars are being born there.
Image: Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Nolan Habel (USRA), Laura Lenkić (USRA), Laurie EU Chu (NASA Ames).
Seventh place
In 7th place is the work of a newcomer: Euclid. The telescope was launched last summer and delivered its first color photos this fall. Astronomers were crazy: the images turned out to be razor-sharp. “We have never seen such astronomical images with so much detail before,” said René Laureijs, who works within the Euclid team. “They (the images, ed.) are even more beautiful and sharper than we could have hoped for and show us many previously unseen features in known parts of the nearby universe.” A total of five color photos of Euclid were released this fall, including one showing off the famous and extremely photogenic Horsehead Nebula. And that photo takes seventh place in our top 10 most beautiful space photos!
Afbeelding: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.
Eighth place
There is not much more room in the top 10 for newcomers or veterans; because place 8 is also claimed by James Webb again with a photo of Uranus. Of course, that planet has been immortalized before, but James Webb’s images are still stunning. Because in addition to Uranus, James Webb also captures the complex ring system, a bright polar cap and probably even storm clouds on the planet! And with that, the telescope reveals that this planet – often an apparently dull, plain, blue-green ball in previous images – is a lot more exciting and dynamic than expected.
Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, editing by Joseph DePasquale (STScI).
Ninth place
In ninth place we find the only space photo in this election that was taken by an astrophotographer. In that photo – taken by Kenneth Lerose – the comet Nishimura shines. This one flew past the sun in September. Quite special, because the last time this comet visited the inner part of the solar system, our ancestors fought in the Eighty Years’ War! In the photo that Lerose took of the comet, not only the comet shines, but also its long, bright tail. A beautiful picture!
Image: © Kenneth Lerose.
Tenth place
And then the last one: in 10th place we find a photo taken by the South Korean lunar orbiter Danuri. The image may seem familiar to you and that may be true. It is indeed a species re-make from the famous Earthrise photo taken during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. In this photo we also see the Earth looming behind the moon’s surface. The photo is many times sharper than the one from 1968. Add a bit of nostalgia and it is no wonder that it – just in the nick of time – manages to make it into the top 10 of our space photo election!
Image: KARI.
And with that our top 10 is complete again. Thank you for voting! On behalf of the entire editorial team, we wish you all a very happy New Year and all the best for 2024!
2023-12-31 14:08:18
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