The first test image from the James Webb telescope. Every one of those little dots is an entire galaxy as large as or larger than our own Milky Way. Stretching off into infinity… When I was in the Navy and we were out at sea, where there was no light to distract from the starlight above, which even on a moonless night was bright enough to read by, I used to lie on the deck and look up at the sky, and think about the fact there was light I was seeing that had begun its journey to my eyes millions of years before any human had walked the earth. It made one feel very small and insignificant. And then I would think about how this small insignificant being on this small insignificant planet orbiting this insignificant star that was out on the edge of what was thought of even then as a smaller-scale galaxy - that we now know is certainly very far from the center of the universe, could look up at that night sky and have comprehension of what I was looking at. And at that moment, I knew that intelligence is not insignificant.
I cannot imagine that we represent the only sentient life in this multi- galactic Universe. Like your deck gazing, TC, it does snap things into perspective. We are "dots" but we are intelligent, self- reflective ones!! To even have the thought needed to project ourselves " out there" and then to painstakingly, over years of telescopes, to develop the James Webb-- our eyes to "see" more and more....intelligence absolutely significant!!! But what we know is mostly what we don't know.
'President Joe Biden will unveil the much-anticipated first full-color image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on Monday, agency officials confirmed.'
'The image, known as "Webb's First Deep Field," will be the deepest and highest-resolution view of the universe ever captured, showing myriad galaxies as they appeared up to 13 billion years in the past, according to NASA.' (NBCnews)
'NASA Shares List of Cosmic Targets for Webb Telescope’s First Images'
'Below is the list of cosmic objects that Webb targeted for these first observations, which will be released in NASA’s live broadcast beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, July 12. Each image will simultaneously be made available on social media as well as on the agency’s website.'
'Carina Nebula. The Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located approximately 7,600 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. Nebulae are stellar nurseries where stars form. The Carina Nebula is home to many massive stars, several times larger than the Sun.'
'WASP-96 b (spectrum). WASP-96 b is a giant planet outside our solar system, composed mainly of gas. The planet, located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth, orbits its star every 3.4 days. It has about half the mass of Jupiter, and its discovery was announced in 2014.'
'Southern Ring Nebula. The Southern Ring, or “Eight-Burst” nebula, is a planetary nebula – an expanding cloud of gas, surrounding a dying star. It is nearly half a light-year in diameter and is located approximately 2,000 light years away from Earth.'
'Stephan’s Quintet: About 290 million light-years away, Stephan’s Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus. It is notable for being the first compact galaxy group ever discovered in 1877. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet are locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters.
SMACS 0723: Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, permitting a deep field view into both the extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations.'
'The release of these first images marks the official beginning of Webb’s science operations, which will continue to explore the mission’s key science themes. Teams have already applied through a competitive process for time to use the telescope, in what astronomers call its first “cycle,” or first year of observations." (NASA)
"Intelligence is not insignificant." I wholeheartedly agree but also feel dismay that on our world it has been wasted in so many petty and broken vessels.
I imagine the possibility to go back into the past because time and events are permanent. Oh, yes. We might get an inkling into what was as it happened. Not conjecture, but the cosmic events revealed. I wish I were 11 years old.
Tom, may I copy and paste this anecdote as a comment (with or without attribution) under the same article I posted earlier on my Facebook page? We are small and insignificant but (for many but not all of us) with intelligence that is not insignificant.
This brief observation and your ever so eloquent letter on the history of your families fight, no, contributions to your country made me reach deep into my crusty , dusty and cobwebbed wallet to renew my subscription just so I could tell you that.
The only earthly experience I have (that doesn't even come close to the unknowable universe) is our own Grand Canyon. Both leave me speechless and feeling less than miniscule and in total awe.
The stars is one of the things I really miss after moving to town from my 10 semi rural acres. The light pollution in my new house/neighborhood is overwhelming.
I cannot imagine that we represent the only sentient life in this multi- galactic Universe. Like your deck gazing, TC, it does snap things into perspective. We are "dots" but we are intelligent, self- reflective ones!! To even have the thought needed to project ourselves " out there" and then to painstakingly, over years of telescopes, to develop the James Webb-- our eyes to "see" more and more....intelligence absolutely significant!!! But what we know is mostly what we don't know.
Loved this post!!
'President Joe Biden will unveil the much-anticipated first full-color image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on Monday, agency officials confirmed.'
'The image, known as "Webb's First Deep Field," will be the deepest and highest-resolution view of the universe ever captured, showing myriad galaxies as they appeared up to 13 billion years in the past, according to NASA.' (NBCnews)
'NASA Shares List of Cosmic Targets for Webb Telescope’s First Images'
'Below is the list of cosmic objects that Webb targeted for these first observations, which will be released in NASA’s live broadcast beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, July 12. Each image will simultaneously be made available on social media as well as on the agency’s website.'
'Carina Nebula. The Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located approximately 7,600 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. Nebulae are stellar nurseries where stars form. The Carina Nebula is home to many massive stars, several times larger than the Sun.'
'WASP-96 b (spectrum). WASP-96 b is a giant planet outside our solar system, composed mainly of gas. The planet, located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth, orbits its star every 3.4 days. It has about half the mass of Jupiter, and its discovery was announced in 2014.'
'Southern Ring Nebula. The Southern Ring, or “Eight-Burst” nebula, is a planetary nebula – an expanding cloud of gas, surrounding a dying star. It is nearly half a light-year in diameter and is located approximately 2,000 light years away from Earth.'
'Stephan’s Quintet: About 290 million light-years away, Stephan’s Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus. It is notable for being the first compact galaxy group ever discovered in 1877. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet are locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters.
SMACS 0723: Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, permitting a deep field view into both the extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations.'
'The release of these first images marks the official beginning of Webb’s science operations, which will continue to explore the mission’s key science themes. Teams have already applied through a competitive process for time to use the telescope, in what astronomers call its first “cycle,” or first year of observations." (NASA)
"Intelligence is not insignificant." I wholeheartedly agree but also feel dismay that on our world it has been wasted in so many petty and broken vessels.
I imagine the possibility to go back into the past because time and events are permanent. Oh, yes. We might get an inkling into what was as it happened. Not conjecture, but the cosmic events revealed. I wish I were 11 years old.
My intelligence anyhow has a hard time imagining that what I see in the night sky is a deep image of time.
I am — and have always been — in awe of space and the magnificence of the universe.
Thank you, TC!
Tom, may I copy and paste this anecdote as a comment (with or without attribution) under the same article I posted earlier on my Facebook page? We are small and insignificant but (for many but not all of us) with intelligence that is not insignificant.
TC … I love you!
This brief observation and your ever so eloquent letter on the history of your families fight, no, contributions to your country made me reach deep into my crusty , dusty and cobwebbed wallet to renew my subscription just so I could tell you that.
TC you are a Mench, flaws’nall.
The only earthly experience I have (that doesn't even come close to the unknowable universe) is our own Grand Canyon. Both leave me speechless and feeling less than miniscule and in total awe.
The stars is one of the things I really miss after moving to town from my 10 semi rural acres. The light pollution in my new house/neighborhood is overwhelming.
Tuesday. What a day this week.
Ditto. Wow.
Sizzlin’, TC, sizzlin’.
Bravo!