# James Webb Space Telescope general discussion thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** science-math\ **Created:** [December 25, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624 "2021-12-25T13:18:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 36
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/701 "2022-07-12T15:13:01Z")
I’m watching now. They are trying to do a worldwide thing by having video hookups to other space agencies, but it often doesn’t work. So they can get images from a million miles away, but they can’t connect to Canada ?! ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/702 "2022-07-12T15:14:26Z")
It was interesting to see how images of the same group of galaxies taken with different instruments were so different. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/703 "2022-07-12T15:16:01Z")
[NASA’s Webb Sheds Light on Galaxy Evolution, Black Holes](https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-sheds-light-on-galaxy-evolution-black-holes) [https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/main\_image\_galaxies\_stephans\_quintet\_sq\_nircam\_miri\_final-5mb.jpg](https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/main_image_galaxies_stephans_quintet_sq_nircam_miri_final-5mb.jpg) > [@](#): > > - **In an enormous new image, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals never-before-seen details of galaxy group “Stephan’s Quintet”** > - **The close proximity of Stephan’s Quintet gives astronomers a ringside seat to galactic mergers, interactions** > - **Webb’s new image shows in rare detail how interacting galaxies trigger star formation in each other and how gas in galaxies is being disturbed** > - **The image also shows outflows driven by a black hole in Stephan’s Quintet in a level of detail never seen before** > - **Tight galaxy groups like this may have been more common in the early universe when superheated, infalling material may have fueled very energetic black holes** ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/704 "2022-07-12T15:17:29Z")
They’re still making the mistake of not comparing it to Hubble. We’ve all seen really beautiful Hubble images, so it’s hard for us to put this into context. They should really do more “this is what the Hubble sees” and “This is what Webb sees” to really show it off. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/705 "2022-07-12T15:28:43Z")
They must have heard you, **Beef** , as they did exactly that for the final image 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/706 "2022-07-12T15:29:47Z")
[NASA’s Webb Reveals Cosmic Cliffs, Glittering Landscape of Star Birth](https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-reveals-cosmic-cliffs-glittering-landscape-of-star-birth) [https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/main\_image\_star-forming\_region\_carina\_nircam\_final-5mb.jpg](https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/main_image_star-forming_region_carina_nircam_final-5mb.jpg) > [@](#): > > - **NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals emerging stellar nurseries and individual stars in the Carina Nebula that were previously obscured** > - **Images of “Cosmic Cliffs” showcase Webb’s cameras’ capabilities to peer through cosmic dust, shedding new light on how stars form** > - **Objects in the earliest, rapid phases of star formation are difficult to capture, but Webb’s extreme sensitivity, spatial resolution, and imaging capability can chronicle these elusive events** ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/707 "2022-07-12T15:36:20Z")
Full resolution images and more info can be found [here.](https://webbtelescope.org/resource-gallery/images) (but with not so friendly file names 😠) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/708 "2022-07-12T15:37:27Z")
When they said we’d get an image of the Carina Nebula, I was hoping they meant [this part](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus_Nebula), which I’d bet looks damned cool in IR. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Eta_Carinae_1.jpg/800px-Eta_Carinae_1.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Eta_Carinae_1.jpg/800px-Eta_Carinae_1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/709 "2022-07-12T15:41:29Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > Full resolution images Huh. I clicked on the Carina " NIRCam and MIRI Composite Image", and got something decidedly not full res. Or I’d really hope full res has more res than 1280 × 720. [![](https://stsci-opo.org/STScI-01G780XGWBQ25CH43DP4NGBYMD.png) ](https://stsci-opo.org/STScI-01G780XGWBQ25CH43DP4NGBYMD.png) ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/710 "2022-07-12T15:43:05Z")
There are links to the full res images on each page. Under “download options” ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/711 "2022-07-12T15:45:12Z")
Ah, ok. Muuuuch better! e.g. the composite Carina nebula png is [here](https://stsci-opo.org/STScI-01G7N9SBG9E1BH20DBKSKTSF2G.png) and glorious. (well, I wish they’d nuke the infographics in and around the image. Ick) [Here is the Cosmic Cliffs image](https://stsci-opo.org/STScI-01G7ETPF7DVBJAC42JR5N6EQRH.png), full huuuge res minus infographics. Warning: 124mb ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/712 "2022-07-12T15:55:21Z")
That’s eta Carina, which is not the same thing as the Carina Nebula. Though it will surely also be an eventual target of Webb, since it’s an extremely interesting object. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/713 "2022-07-12T15:59:25Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > (well, I wish they’d nuke the infographics in and around the image. Ick) > > [Here is the Cosmic Cliffs image](https://stsci-opo.org/STScI-01G7ETPF7DVBJAC42JR5N6EQRH.png), full huuuge res minus infographics. Warning: 124mb Good that they have the images available both with and without the circles and arrows and the paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was. The plain images are the most spectacular, but the annotated ones have interesting informational value. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/714 "2022-07-12T16:00:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That’s eta Carina, which is not the same thing as the Carina Nebula Sure, but it’s _in_ the Carina Nebula, so I was hopin’! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/715 "2022-07-12T17:11:19Z")
…Huh, so it is. I did not know that; I assumed that both, despite happening to be in the direction of the same constellation, were widely-separated. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/716 "2022-07-12T18:22:35Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Our own world is unimaginably small and insignificant. _I know thy seas are very very wide, and the ship in truth is small And those who dwell within her hide, I care for, one and all Their safety rests upon my skill, their lives are in my hand I take it for a sacred trust, and they rarely understand_ [“The Engineer’s Hymn”](https://genius.com/Leslie-fish-engineers-hymn-lyrics) – Leslie Fish riffing on Kipling’s [“McAndrew’s Hymn”](https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poem/poems_mcandrew.htm) ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/717 "2022-07-12T19:13:45Z")
Someone on reddit made a great tool that allows you to slide back and forth to compare Webb and Hubble images: [https://johnedchristensen.github.io/WebbCompare/](https://johnedchristensen.github.io/WebbCompare/) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/718 "2022-07-12T19:20:46Z")
Cool! I’ve noticed the black spots in the close-by stars’ centers have been edited out. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/719 "2022-07-12T21:07:22Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Our own world is unimaginably small and insignificant. When I read about the [Total Perspective Vortex](https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Total_Perspective_Vortex) my impression was that Douglas Adams hadn’t gone nearly far enough in describing the insignificance of any individual. But … Some while back my daughter sent me [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I32QDjSbmcs) taken from the ISS because she thought I would be interested in what the aurora looks like from above (which was true). Then I happened to look up while watching it, and it struck me as never before that however insignificant we may be, we are part of something vast, transcendent and heartbreakingly beautiful. The Webb images do nothing but confirm that impression. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/720 "2022-07-12T21:14:36Z")
The more I look at those images and consider their significance, the more impressed I am. The JWST is truly a worthy successor to Hubble. And it’s just barely getting started. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624.md?page=37)