Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have unveiled a sweeping cosmic panorama of nearly 800,000 galaxies, offering a glimpse into the earliest eras of the universe. The images, part of COSMOS-Web, the largest observing program by JWST in its first year, cover an area equivalent to three full moons placed side-by-side and reveal many previously invisible galaxies.
Harnessing data from this effort, scientists have released the largest contiguous image ever captured by the JWST, along with a free, interactive catalog detailing galaxy properties. This cosmic record will serve as a valuable resource for years to come.
The COSMOS-Web project, led by astrophysicist Jeyhan Kartaltepe, surveyed over 10,000 exposures and utilized nearly 200 hours of observation time allocated to the team. The effort aimed to capture a wider cosmic canvas than previous studies, highlighting 10 times more galaxies in the early universe.
The JWST’s expansive view allows researchers to study galaxy characteristics, such as size, shape, and brightness, shaped by their environments. This data provides insights into how these characteristics evolved over time.
Three scientific papers exploring the COSMOS-Web data have been published, examining topics like galaxy structure, reionization era, and machine learning techniques for estimating physical properties. The team has also developed new methods to measure distant galaxies’ brightness more accurately.
Source: https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/james-webb-space-telescope-reveals-largest-ever-panorama-of-the-early-universe