James Webb Telescope: first images from JWST released by NASA, showing deepest view of space - what they mean

The images showing what is said to be the “deepest” and most detailed picture of the cosmos to date
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The first images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have been released, depicting the "deepest" and most detailed view of the cosmos to date.

During a White House event on Monday (11 July) evening, US President Joe Biden unveiled the first image, with further images released today (12 July).

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NASA administrator Bill Nelson described the image as “just a tiny sliver of the vast universe”.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

(Image: NASA)(Image: NASA)
(Image: NASA)

What does the first picture show?

The first image from the $10 billion telescope is the most distant image humanity has ever seen in terms of both time and distance, taking us closer to the dawn of time and the limit of the cosmos.

The image, known as Webb's First Deep Field, depicts a galaxy cluster called SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago.

The galaxy cluster's combined mass works as a gravitational lens, magnifying the distant galaxies behind it.

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Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) has brought those faraway galaxies into focus, showing previously unseen small, faint features.

The image is a composite of photos collected at various wavelengths.

Researchers will soon discover more about the galaxies' masses, ages, histories, and compositions as Webb strives to study the universe's earliest galaxies.

Are there more images?

Four further cosmic images from the telescope's inaugural outward gazes have been released.

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The entire set of Webb's first full-colour photographs were released during a live broadcast by NASA and its partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency.

A landscape of mountains and valleys speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula (Image: NASA)A landscape of mountains and valleys speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula (Image: NASA)
A landscape of mountains and valleys speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula (Image: NASA)

A picture of a large gaseous planet outside our solar system, two views of a nebula where stars are produced and die in magnificent beauty, and an update of a classic image of five densely clustered galaxies dancing around each other are among the images scheduled.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reveals Stephans Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxiesNASA's James Webb Space Telescope reveals Stephans Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reveals Stephans Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies
The dimmer star at the centre of this scene has been sending out rings of gas and dust for thousands of years in all directions, and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed for the first time that this star is cloaked in dustThe dimmer star at the centre of this scene has been sending out rings of gas and dust for thousands of years in all directions, and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed for the first time that this star is cloaked in dust
The dimmer star at the centre of this scene has been sending out rings of gas and dust for thousands of years in all directions, and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed for the first time that this star is cloaked in dust

What is the James Webb telescope?

Last December, the world's largest and most powerful space observatory launched from French Guiana in South America. In January, it reached its lookout point one million miles from Earth.

Then, the arduous process of aligning the mirrors, getting the infrared detectors cold enough to operate, and calibrating the science instruments began, all protected by a tennis court-sized umbrella that keeps the telescope cool.

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It is intended to address unanswered questions about the universe and make ground-breaking discoveries in all branches of astronomy.

The telescope will be used to peer back so far that scientists will be able to see the early days of the cosmos around 13.7 billion years ago and zoom in on nearby cosmic objects, including our own solar system, with greater clarity.

Astronomers use light-years to determine how far back they can gaze; one light-year equals 5.8 trillion miles.

“Webb can see backwards in time to just after the Big Bang by looking for galaxies that are so far away that the light has taken many billions of years to get from those galaxies to our telescopes,” said Jonathan Gardner, Webb’s deputy project scientist.

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