NASA has unveiled the first high-resolution, full-color image of the universe captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The image was presented during a White House event on Monday, July 11.
"NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has delivered the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe so far," NASA said in a statement. The image captures the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, known as Webb's First Deep Field, as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago.
Some of these distant galaxies and star clusters have never been seen before. The image was taken by the James Webb Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and consists of images taken at different wavelengths over a total of 12.5 hours. It would take weeks for the Hubble Space Telescope to take such an image.
The combined mass of SMACS 0723 acts as a "gravitational lens, distorting space to magnify the light coming from the distant galaxies beyond it. Thanks to this effect, the camera manages to capture the more distant galaxies behind the cluster, NASA explains.
The rest of the high-resolution color images will debut on July 12. The first five photos highlight James Webb's unprecedented scientific capabilities and should include pictures of galaxies, nebulas, and more.
The James Webb Space Telescope was launched into space in December 2021 as a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.