NASA releases 4 amazing photos of the universe; netizens react

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is one of the high-definition telescopes that makes continuous observations from space, including images and highly detailed data called spectra. On the other hand, the Chandra X-ray Observatory was launched in 1999 and is the world’s most powerful X-ray telescope and has eight times higher resolution. NASA said that the Chandra X-ray Observatory is capable of detecting sources 20 times fainter than any previous X-ray telescope.

In a post on Instagram, the US space agency said it has released 4 images – Rho Opiuchi, Orion Nebula, Spiral Galaxy NGC 3627, Galaxy Cluster MACS J0416.

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Talking about Rho Ophiuchi, NASA said that it is located 390 light-years away from Earth. According to NASA, Rho Ophiuchi is a giant cloud complex containing gas and stars of different sizes and ages. As one of the closest regions where stars are forming, it provides astronomers with an excellent opportunity to study stellar phenomena. In the image shared, Chandra’s X-ray data is shown in purple, highlighting young stars that emit intense X-rays while infrared data from the Webb telescope is displayed in shades of red, yellow, cyan, light blue and dark blue, showcasing stunning regions of gas and dust.

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The next image shared by NASA is the Orion Nebula which is located within the Milky Way galaxy and is about 1,500 light-years from Earth. The Orion Nebula is located just below the central star of Orion’s “belt” and can be seen with a small telescope. In this particular image, Chandra has captured young stars that shine in X-rays, shown in red, green and blue, while Webb has highlighted the surrounding gas and dust in dark red, which will contribute to the formation of future stars.

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NGC 3627 is a spiral galaxy that we see from a slight angle. It is referred to as a “barred” spiral galaxy because of the distinctive rectangular shape of its central region. In a post on Instagram, NASA wrote, “X-rays from Chandra in purple show evidence of a supermassive black hole at its center, while Webb finds dust, gas and stars throughout the galaxy in red, green and blue. This image also includes optical data from NASAHubble in red, green and blue.”

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NASA said MACS J0416 is a galaxy cluster, one of the largest objects held together by gravity in the universe. It said galaxy clusters can contain hundreds or thousands of individual galaxies, all immersed in huge quantities of superheated gas. Describing the image, NASA wrote in its post, “Chandra’s purple-hued X-rays show this reservoir of hot gas, while Hubble and Webb show individual galaxies in red, green and blue.”

The post shared by NASA also caught the attention of netizens, with one calling it a “beautiful AI” while some others called it gorgeous.

One user said, “Thank you so much for giving us a glimpse of space”

Some others said, “Absolutely breathtaking”

Another user commented, “There is still so much to be discovered” while a user said, “Space is so beautiful.”

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Published: July 20, 2024, 01:36 PM IST