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Those who follow this site know that I occasionally complain about modern astrophysicists, who remain stuck with their BIG Bang theory, and some associated ideas, despite the weakness of the evidence for them.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not enthused about modern space science.  With increasingly sensitive telescopes and talented space probes, the science of astronomy has been exploding now for decades. But it’s not astrophysicists who are behind this – it’s engineers who have developed this equipment, which includes AI computer technology, who are primarily responsible for this ocean of new photographs and other evidence.

With this in mind, I want to show you a photo just taken by the new JWST (James Webb Space Telescope), only launched this year – showing the center of the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51 (NGC 5194) , maybe the most photographed galaxy of all.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an earlier photo of the Whirlpool Galaxy on the NASA site where I go for such things, so I’ve put in a substitute, courtesy of the NASA site, the galaxy NGC 6984, which is uncannily similar to M51.

Look at this haunting photo above for a moment, then click to see what the JWST and its engineers have done (courtesy of ESA, the European Space Agency). Click the second blue link you see to get the full image.

When I see something like this, I tell myself that the future has arrived.

When I see something like this, I know the future has arrived.

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2023/08/Webb_captures_a_cosmic_Whirlpool

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Published by Alan Conrad

Alan Conrad is the author of The Shyness Guide, and two novels - The Birdcatcher, a book he calls his declaration of independence for shy people, and Skol, the story of a shy 17 year old boy alone in a twenty-third century galactic empire. He has also written many SF short stories.

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