The universe is a place full of limitless possibilities for artists exploring the ever-expanding celestial unknown. In 1915, Proxima Centauri (the nearest star to Earth-excluding the Sun) was discovered, in 1951 the United States sent four monkeys to space, in 1958 NASA was founded, and in 1969, we landed on the moon. The Space Race story doesn't end in the '60s as developments in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics continue to make progress.
The James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) is an orbiting infrared observatory that was successfully launched on December 25, 2021. The Webb will serve thousands of astronomers worldwide for the next 5-10 years on its mission that extends the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990. On December 9, 2022, an international team of astronomers used the data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to report light traveling more than 13.4 billion years to reach us from the earliest galaxies known to date.
Left: Hubble image of The "Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula vs. Right: Webb image of the Eagle Nebula captured in infrared light to show young stars forming in clouds of dust and gas that weren't visible before (https://webb.nasa.gov/)
My high school students researched nebulae discovered by the Webb telescope as the inspiration for their oil pastel galaxy artworks. They learned about the Webb telescope from a clip of the July 2022 documentary, "Seeing the Universe Like We've Never Seen it Before" that explained how the JWST was built and the scientific significance of the data from these images. With longer wavelengths and improved sensitivity, the Webb can look further back in time to see the first galaxies formed in the early universe and capture images inside dust clouds where planetary systems are forming today.
As students began their research, having a deeper understanding of what they were looking at gave more meaning to their work. In group discussions, students shared who discovered the nebula they would draw and how they were named. We developed sketches with oil pastel blending techniques to layer as a painting and drawing medium using oil and wax to bind the colors to the paper.
Much like exploring deeper into space to see star formations, we can see multiple layers of colors blended on top of each other in their nebula artworks.
My students began by shading solid base colors on their first layer. Then they had to create the highlight colors before adding the shadows of their nebula image. At this stage, their galaxies had solid sections blocked in as a base coat.
The next step was looking deeper at the subtle nuances of their nebula by creating gradual with value changes in the areas that blend together.
As the layers built up, the stars were formed in the nebula galaxies!
"Orion Nebula" Discovered by Christiaan Huygens, November 26, 1610
Why did you choose this Nebula?: The colors are very vibrant, and there’s many of them. This specific picture is the “heart” of Orion, or the center, which I think is sweet to think about.
"Lemon Slice Nebula" Discovered by Robert Grant Aitken in 1900
Why did you choose this Nebula?: I like lemons, and I think that the planetary nebulae are simple but interesting to look at.
"Eastern Veil Nebula" Andrei Bacila found this Nebula in 2016 in Sofronea, Romania
Why did you choose this Nebula?: I love the colors and the shape is really fascinating.
"Witch Head Nebula" Discovered through astrophotography by the German astronomer Max Wolf in 1909.
Why did you choose this Nebula?: The cool tones… and it almost reminds me of billowing smoke.
"In the Center of the Trapezium" Discovered by J. Bally, D. Devine, & R. Sutherland, D. Johnson July 10, 2005.
Why did you choose this Nebula?: This cluster was captured by astrophotography on the day my girlfriend was born, 7/10/05. She loves space and loves to tell me about it. She’s always what I think about when space comes up.
"Running Man Nebula" Discovered by William Herschel in 1786
Why did you choose this Nebula?: I love the burst of colors and the contrast from the dark and light.
"Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635)" The Bubble Nebula was discovered in 1787 by William Herschel, a prominent British astronomer.
Why did you choose this Nebula?: I am particularly interested in this nebula because I think the colors are really beautiful. The different shades of yellow and blue really work well together. I also really love the shape of the bubble and how the stars look in the background.
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“Earth is a small town with many neighborhoods in a very big universe.”
― Ron Garan, The Orbital Perspective: Lessons in Seeing the Big Picture from a Journey of 71 Million Miles
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