Scientific American: As light travels through space, it gets stretched by the expansion of the universe. This is why many of the most distant objects shine in infrared light, which is longer in wavelength than visible light. We can’t see this ancient light with our eyes, but the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was designed to capture it, revealing some of the first galaxies ever to form. MORE
They are real in the sense that they have been created. Are they real in the sense that these images have actually taken place? Beats me, but they are impressive as hell regardless. I love this stuff.
I’ve read that the images are more of a “translation” of gases and light wavelengths that we can’t see that are then converted to colors visible to the human eye.
They are bullshit! Just like the Hubble cartoons. They admit they are “artist enhanced” or some bullshit.
If these scopes were so bad ass, why don’t we see crystal clear images of the Moon or planets? Because it’s bullshit.
The reality of science used to fascinate me to no end, then the reality of politics, intermingled with ‘trust the science’ in recent years, has instilled an enormous amount of skepticism in my beliefs.
The pretty pictures are used to impress the public. While there is a lot of scientifically important information provided by the telescope, the imagery is a public relations enterprise. Dare one say propaganda?
“We’re gonna take a picture of the Big Bang and then Before the Bang. Send us more money.”
I invented Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy.
No one ever told us how many big bangs have ever taken place from the actual beginning of time…
Time begins with the Big Bang – and ends with the collapse.
The Big Bang is a momentary (infinitesimal) fart in the vast expanse of eternity – which is God’s Domain.
mortem tyrannis
izlamo delenda est …
There is something not right about the images. Just a gut feeling,like walking through a state fair carnival back in the 60’s.
So we can see the dawn of time, but we can’t see the base of the Lunar Module on the Moon.
Gotcha.
Don’t you ever link to SA again. Ever. Ever.
Infrared light is what we feel as temperature. JWST is designed to “see” just a handful of degrees above absolute zero. JWST is in orbit around the sun, about a million miles farther out from the Earth. So, it would have to turn around and look back toward the sun in order to observe the moon, which would destroy the delicate sensors; much like slapping your hand on a burner to see if it’s on.
Hubble can look at the moon, but the moon orbits Earth too quickly for Hubble to track it.
Both ‘scopes have looked at Neptune.
Mark McGrew, I don’t know about the James Webb but Hubble’s stability software is based on positioning itself relative to specific distant stars. It cannot image the moon well because it is designed to take long exposures and the moon simply moves too fast for the Hubble to track it well.
In today’s world, everything is fake!
Prior to the current decade’s collusion between ‘science’ and politics I put the space guys on a pedestal. Now, pretty pictures, fire the imagination, wind the kiddies up! It’s probably more fun to get them wound up before you crush them under the heel of your jackboot, more suffering to enjoy as you destroy them.
Remember the picture of the slice of chorizo passed off as a distant planet?