"Comparing Webb’s First Photos to What Hubble Saw"
NASA has finally published the first colorized, full-resolution photos captured by the James Webb Space Telescope and the detail and resolution of the images is incredible, especially when compared to the images of these same cosmic objects captured by Hubble.
Below are 4 comparisons that illustrate the incredible capabilities of Webb.
SMACS 0723 is located 4.6 billion light-years away. But thanks to gravitational lensing, which is the cause of the distortion seen in the image, Webb is actually able to look much farther away. NASA says that the light that Webb senses is more than 13 billion years old, which means these galaxies were formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.
The Southern Ring planetary nebula is also known as the “Eight-Burst” nebula. This is an expanding cloud of gas that surrounds a dying star. It is nearly half a light-year in diameter and is located about 2,000 light-years from Earth.
The Stephan’s Quintet is also known as "Hickson Compact Group 92". It is located in the constellation Pegasus and exists about 290 million light-years away. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet are what NASA describes as locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters.
The Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae that is visible in the night sky. It is located about 7,600 light-years away in the southern constellation of Carina.
Note: Hubble and Webb stacked up images are attached as comments. Check them too.
Sources:
JWST Images:
https://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages
HST Images:
https://hubblesite.org/resource-gallery/images
