From the Webb Telescope images that reveal the dawn of the universe live from 3.45 pm – space and astronomy

A new window into an unknown era of the universe, which for the first time allows us to see the first stars and the oldest galaxies: this is the meaning of the first images taken by the most powerful space telescope, James Webb, born of a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency ( CSA).

“Scientifically, the data opens a new window on an era in the history of the universe that has yet to be explored,” notes Adriano Fontana, head of the National Division for Empowering Optical and Infrared Astronomy at the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF).

“Thanks to the power of James Webb, we are able to observe galaxies whose light has traveled almost for the life of the universe before reaching us. In this way – he adds – we can see the universe as it was shortly after the Big Bang, when its first stars formed in galaxies that overlooked the universe the guy “.

In the first image, that of the SMAC S 0723 galaxy cluster, Fontana noted that “pointing the telescope at a group of galaxies allowed us to exploit the effect of light amplification—an effect predicted by Einstein’s general relativity—to make visible very distant objects behind the cluster itself.” This data – and other similar data – will allow us to study in detail how the first galaxies formed, as well as study the mystery of the dark matter that dominates the cluster’s environment.”

According to the expert, “James Webb’s capabilities are many times greater than any terrestrial telescope can achieve today or in the near future” and the new telescope is probably the most powerful astronomical satellite ever launched into space. . In addition to the mirror, made up of perfectly proportioned clips, it contains four “highly advanced tools, each with many configurations and modes of operation” which “work perfectly,” such as the first photo released on the evening of July 11 by the President of the United States, Joe Biden . “That such a complex object operates perfectly at 1.5 million kilometers from Earth – concludes – and at a temperature of only 40 degrees from absolute zero, is truly an extraordinary technical feat.”