• A cluster of stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud in an image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. PA
    A cluster of stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud in an image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. PA
  • A colour composite image of the Messier 74 galaxy. Photo: Gabriel Brammer (Cosmic Dawn Center, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen) / James Webb Space Telescope
    A colour composite image of the Messier 74 galaxy. Photo: Gabriel Brammer (Cosmic Dawn Center, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen) / James Webb Space Telescope
  • Jupiter and its moon Europa, left, are seen through the James Webb Space Telescope. Photo: Nasa
    Jupiter and its moon Europa, left, are seen through the James Webb Space Telescope. Photo: Nasa
  • Captured in infrared light by Nasa's new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals areas of star birth in Carina Nebula. All photos: James Webb Space Telescope
    Captured in infrared light by Nasa's new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals areas of star birth in Carina Nebula. All photos: James Webb Space Telescope
  • Known as Webb's First Deep Field, the picture showcases a galaxy cluster called SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. The image was revealed by US President Joe Biden on July 11 during an event at the White House.
    Known as Webb's First Deep Field, the picture showcases a galaxy cluster called SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. The image was revealed by US President Joe Biden on July 11 during an event at the White House.
  • An image of Stephan's Quintet, an area in space with a group of five galaxies.
    An image of Stephan's Quintet, an area in space with a group of five galaxies.
  • Side-by-side comparison shows observations of the Southern Ring Nebula in near-infrared light (left) and mid-infrared light.
    Side-by-side comparison shows observations of the Southern Ring Nebula in near-infrared light (left) and mid-infrared light.
  • The telescope has captured the distinct signature of water, along with evidence for clouds and haze, in the atmosphere surrounding a hot, puffy gas giant planet orbiting a distant Sun-like star, called WASP-96 b. Photo: James Webb Space Telescope
    The telescope has captured the distinct signature of water, along with evidence for clouds and haze, in the atmosphere surrounding a hot, puffy gas giant planet orbiting a distant Sun-like star, called WASP-96 b. Photo: James Webb Space Telescope

From the Phantom Galaxy to black holes: James Webb telescope puts space into close-up


Sarwat Nasir
  • English
  • Arabic

A $10 billion “time travel machine” has been busily uncovering the secrets of the universe since its launch on Christmas Day in 2021.

From studying the atmospheres of planets outside the solar system to capturing detailed photos of star nurseries, the James Webb Space Telescope continues to impress scientists.

It was launched to help astronomers learn more about the early universe and mysteries of the solar system.

Its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, has discovered numerous moons and planets outside the solar system – or exoplanets, and helped to determine the rate at which the universe is expanding.

But scientists are receiving even more detailed observations from Webb, which is 100 times more powerful than Hubble.

The National takes a look at some of its top discoveries.

Pillars of Creation

Hubble and other telescopes had already taken images of the Pillars of Creation, or Eagle Nebula, but Webb captured it in unprecedented detail.

The Pillars of Creation photographed by the James Webb Space Telescope
The Pillars of Creation photographed by the James Webb Space Telescope

It is an area in space where young stars are forming, about 7,000 light-years away from Earth.

The space observatory revealed newly formed stars within the nebula's three pillars of gas and dust.

These findings could help scientists better understand how stars grow in these dusty clouds over millions of years and then explode out of them.

Phantom Galaxy

An image of the Phantom Galaxy captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, with data from the Hubble Space Telescope. ESA/Webb
An image of the Phantom Galaxy captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, with data from the Hubble Space Telescope. ESA/Webb

The James Webb Space Telescope helped scientists see the Phantom Galaxy, or M74, better than ever before.

Located about 32 million light-years away from Earth, M74 has spiral arms that are well-defined compared to some other galaxies' more ragged structures.

Webb helped to show the delicate filaments of gas and dust in those spiral arms which wind out from the star cluster at the galaxy's centre.

Most distant black hole

In November, astronomers discovered the most distant black hole ever detected, located about 13.2 billion light-years away from Earth in the UHZ1 galaxy.

The discovery of the celestial object, which is 10 to 100 million times the mass of the Sun, could help scientists understand how black holes became so large in the infancy of the universe.

Astronomers have detected the most distant black hole ever seen. Nasa
Astronomers have detected the most distant black hole ever seen. Nasa

Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope to find the host galaxy and then the Chandra X-ray Observatory to detect the black hole.

Black holes are formed by the catastrophic collapse of a star, an event that compresses matter into such a relatively small space that nothing, not even light, can escape its gravitational pull.

Scientists have spent decades studying the space phenomenon, with the first image of a black hole taken in 2019 using powerful telescopes.

Planet outside the solar system

The Webb telescope helped reveal the atmosphere of an exoplanet in August.

Scientists used the telescope’s instruments to unravel secrets of planet WASP-107b, including how its atmosphere is filled with water vapour, sulphur dioxide and silicate sand clouds.

The presence of sulphur dioxide would give the atmosphere the smell of burnt matches.

The exoplanet orbits a star slightly cooler than the Sun and has a mass that is similar to Neptune.

A new relationship with the old country

Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates

The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.

ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.

ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.

DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.

Signed

Geoffrey Arthur  Sheikh Zayed

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Astra%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdallah%20Abu%20Sheikh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20technology%20investment%20and%20development%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The Bio

Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”

Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”

Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”

Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Moving%20Out%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SMG%20Studio%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Team17%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Countries recognising Palestine

France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra

 

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

Updated: December 29, 2023, 3:00 AM