Fancy zooming into a stunning 511MP – yes, 511MP – image? SmartFrame’s Hyper Zoom feature makes this a reality
Hyper Zoom is one of SmartFrame’s most popular features, allowing users to dive right into the finest details in images.
It’s particularly powerful when used with ultra-high-resolution images – and it’s hard to think of a more impressive selection to zoom into than the cosmic captures below.
Scroll down to view a selection of images released by NASA from the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope, which have been converted into SmartFrame images to make their details easy to scrutinize.
Just click on the image to zoom into it and keep clicking on it to bring you further into the frame. For an even more immersive experience, use this with the full-screen feature, which can be accessed on each image through the button in the top-right-hand corner of the frame.
What is the James Webb Space Telescope?
The James Webb Space Telescope is an infrared observatory that orbits the sun. The optical telescope is the largest of its kind in space.
It was launched into space towards the end of 2021 and its first images – including the ones shown below – were released in July of last year.
While its capabilities regarding wavelength coverage and sensitivity easily outgun the existing Hubble Space Telescope, and allow it to produce larger and more detailed images, it is designed to complement rather than replace the Hubble Space Telescope.
The stated mission goals for the James Webb Space Telescope are:
● to search for the first galaxies or luminous objects formed after the Big Bang
● to determine how galaxies evolved from their formation until now
● to observe the formation of stars from the first stages to the formation of planetary systems
● to measure the physical and chemical properties of planetary systems, including our own Solar System, and investigate the potential for life in those systems
Stephan’s Quintet – James Webb Space Telescope
Stephan’s Quintet is a visual grouping of five galaxies dubbed the Hickson Compact Group 92 (HCG 92).
In this image, the most visible of these galaxies is NGC 7320, which lies around 40 million light-years from Earth.
The other four – NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B, and NGC 7319 – are around 290 million light-years away.
With a width of 12,654 pixels and a height of 12,132 pixels – and made up of almost 1,000 individual images – this image tops out at just over 153.5MP.
Tarantula Nebula – NIRCam Image – James Webb Space Telescope
The Tarantula Nebula star-forming region is the largest and brightest star-forming region in the Local Group – that is, the galaxies nearest to our Milky Way.
It was captured using the James Webb Space Telescope Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), which is said to detect light from the earliest stars and galaxies in the process of formation.
This image, which measures 340 light-years across, includes tens of thousands of young stars that had not been previously seen. It measures 14,557 x 8,418 pixels, which equates to a total resolution of just over 122.5MP.
Carina Nebula – James Webb Space Telescope
The above image shows the edge of a giant, gaseous cavity within NGC 3324, an open cluster in the constellation Carina, located around 7,600 light-years away from Earth.
This was captured using both James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera and Mid-Infrared Instrument, the former revealing “hundreds of previously hidden stars, and even numerous background galaxies.”
The image measures 14,575 x 8,441 pixels, which gives it a total resolution of just over 123MP.
Andromeda Galaxy – Hubble Space Telescope
You can consider the above to be a warm-up for this – the largest image of the Andromeda Galaxy to date.
Released back in 2015, this was captured with the Hubble Space Telescope rather than the newer James Webb Space Telescope.
It’s a crop of the full composite image, the largest Hubble Space Telescope image released to date, which comprises separate 7,398 exposures and has 1.5 billion pixels in total.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest articles and updates delivered straight to your inbox