Nasa publishes flurry of images from James Webb space telescope

Astronomers have hailed the beginning of a new era of space observation after Nasa unveiled a flurry of full-colour images from the James Webb space telescope, the largest and most powerful space-based observatory ever built.

After the first image was released at a White House briefing on Monday, the US space agency published further pictures from its Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland on Tuesday amid cheers and howls of approval.

In the second image, Webb analysed starlight as it passed through the atmosphere of a hot Jupiter-like planet called Wasp-96b, about 1,150 light years away. This revealed the presence of water vapour, though the planet is too hot to harbour liquid water. Astronomers will use the same approach on smaller, rocky planets in the hope of finding worlds where conditions are ripe for life.

Further images captured the Southern Ring nebula, a vast cloud of gas hurtling away from a dying star about 2,000 light years from Earth. An unexpected streak in the image mystified some on the Nasa team. On closer inspection it was found to be another galaxy, viewed edge on.

The collection of deep space images mark the official start of science operations for Webb, which encountered major delays and cost overruns before it reached the launchpad. Since it blasted off in December, scientists have endured a nailbiting six months as the observatory has unfolded, deployed a sunshield the size of a tennis court, and aligned its 18 gold-plated mirrors en route to its destination 1m miles from Earth.

Developed in collaboration with the European and Canadian space agencies, Webb uses a 6.5-metre primary mirror to detect the feeble glimmer of some of the oldest and most distant stars in the cosmos.