Amazing Hubble Images makes us seem Small

Source: Hubblesite.org
A brilliant white core is encircled by thick dust lanes in this spiral galaxy, seen edge-on. 
The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and 28 million light years from Earth.



Source: Hubblesite.org



Source: Hubblesite.org              The Antennae Galaxies/NGC 4038-4039



Source: Hubblesite.org     A Rose made of Galaxies



Source: Hubblesite.org    Star V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon)

Hubble Site

The Webb Telescope

A million miles from Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope will soar through a frigid void, peering back to the time when new stars and developing galaxies first began to illuminate the universe. Scanning the universe for the invisible radiation called infrared, Webb will have to be larger than any space telescope ever placed in orbit, and function at temperatures just tens of degrees above absolute zero — the temperature at which even atoms are frozen into immobility.

With its infrared vision, Webb will be able to see light from the early universe that has been stretched as it travels across the expanding fabric of space. It will be able to see through clouds of dust to the warm, infrared-emitting objects hidden within. Our view of the universe will expand as Webb opens up previously unexplored territory to our gaze.

JWST'S NEAR INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH (NIRSPEC)

The Near InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec) is one of four instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). NIRSpec is a multi-object spectrograph capable of observing more than 100 astronomical objects simultaneously in a large field of view of ~ 3 arcminutes × 3 arcminutes. It will support JWST's four main science themes by providing low (R~100), medium (R~1000), and high-resolution (R~2700) spectroscopic observations.

NIRSpec measures 1.9m × 1.3m × 0.7 m and weighs approximately 200 kg. It is an all-reflective system with a total of 14 mirrors, seven interchangeable dispersive elements and eight interchangeable filters.

The black dome and horn-shaped assembly in the centre foreground is the calibration assembly. This will be used for on-orbit calibration and monitoring the performance of the instrument.

To the left, with one silver- and three gold-coloured squares arranged around a cylinder, is the grating wheel.

The filter wheel can just be seen at the centre, towards the back of the shot, with two of the eight interchangeable filters showing.

The camera, which focuses the light beam onto the focal plane assembly (not visible), is in the large silver box at the back left of the shot.

NIRSpec is developed by ESA with EADS Astrium Germany GmbH as the prime contractor.