The James Webb Space Telescope and the globular cluster Messier 92 (M92)

Just a few days ago we had written about the new images released by ESA, NASA And CSA extension captured by James Webb Space Telescope. In that case we had concentrated on spiral galaxies (NGC 1365, NGC 1433 and NGC 7496) to collect data on star formation and more generally on the evolution of these large structures. L’last picture released instead concerns a globular cluster and more precisely that Messier 92 (M92).

Click on the image to enlarge

This celestial object is one of the first observed by scientists exploiting the potential of JWST extension but not so much for the more central area (which is purposely darkened) but rather for the more peripheral areas, less bright and with fewer stars. The observation of Messier 92 (M92) was part of the Early Release Science (ERS) 1334 program to understand what the performance of the new scientific instrument could be.

The James Webb Space Telescope observed the cluster Messier 92

According to reportedthe observation of theglobular cluster Messier 92 it happened on June 20, 2022 (that’s why it was part of Early Release Science). M92 is located 26,700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hercules and contains about 300,000 stars in a sphere 100 light-years in diameter. The observation by the JWST extension it lasted about an hour with four different filters. The overall image covers a distance of 5 arc minutes equal to 39 light years.

The James Webb Space Telescope he employed his instrument NIR Cam (near infrared) and with the data recorded in that period and others that will arrive in the future, it will be possible to understand how the movements of the stars occur in the different regions of the globular cluster, correlating it with physics.

A detail (9 light years) of M92 captured by the JWST

As written above, in the overall image we see how the central area is covered by a black band. This is not an error but a way to avoid that the center of the cluster, much brighter due to the presence of many more stars, does not overwhelm the brightness of the periphery which is less dense from a stellar point of view (and therefore also less bright).

As written above the James Webb Space Telescope employed four different filters of NIR Cam and in particular F090W, F150W, F277W and F444W. These correspond to the wavelengths of 0.9 µm, 1.5 µm, 2.77 µm and 4.44 µm to which the colors blue, cyan, yellow and red are associated to reconstruct an image that is also visible for human beings. humans. On the ESA website dedicated to JWST extension it is also possible download an image similar but with a size of 53 MB (in JPEG) to allow you to capture every single detail.