The Canadian connection to those awesome images from space

LONGUEUIL, Que. — NASA is releasing new photos from its James Webb Space Telescope that offer a glimpse into dying stars and distant galaxies.

The United States agency released four new images Tuesday during an event broadcast worldwide, one day after the White House released the first image from the telescope.

The Webb, a US$10-billion joint partnership between NASA and the Canadian and European space agencies, is outfitted with two crucial Canadian-built systems, both of which are working properly.

Sarah Gallagher, science adviser to the Canadian Space Agency president, says it was an emotional day because the telescope had been more than two decades in the making.

Gallagher says that Webb is delivering exactly what its designers hoped it would.

The Canadian contributions to Webb include a Fine Guidance Sensor, which helps aim the telescope, and the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph, which helps analyze light.

The Webb is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope but is deployed much farther out — about 1.6 million kilometres from Earth.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2022.