We always photobomb pictures. It is so much fun. But have you heard celestial objects photobombing images? NASA’s new satellite telescope captured a spiky image of a distant star photobombed by hundreds of old galaxies as it gazed into the far universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope’s image released on Wednesday is a test shot, not an official science observation. It was to examine how its 18 hexagonal mirrors worked together to create a single coordinated image taken 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away from Earth. It worked out better than expected, according to officials.
Last month, NASA used 18 distinct photos from its mirror segments to study a much closer star.
Scientists claimed they were giddy as they awaited the results of the current test. NASA’s test image targeted a star 2,000 light-years away that was 100 times fainter than the human eye can perceive. A light-year is approximately 6 trillion miles long (9.7 trillion kilometers).
The glittering star appeared more red and spiky thanks to the design of Webb’s mirrors and filters. But the background stole the show.
Webb operations project scientist Jane Rigby stated, “You can’t help but see those thousands of galaxies behind it, really gorgeous.”
Those galaxies have been around for billions of years. Webb will eventually be able to see so far away and back in time that it will only be “a couple hundred million years after the Big Bang,” according to scientists.
It won’t be until late June or early July before the first science photographs will release.
The $10 billion Webb Space Telescope is the successor of the almost 32-year-old Hubble Space Telescope. It launched from South America in December and arrived at its final destination in January.