In a breathtaking display of the humbling enormity of our surroundings, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has provided us mere earthlings with what the space agency has revealed is the “deepest and sharpest” infrared image of the universe to date.
The first image released, seen in full below, provides a truly thrilling visual exploration of the SMACS 0723 cluster as it looked 4.6 billion years ago. Per NASA, the sector of the universe observed in the full-color image covers a piece of sky akin in size to a grain of sand being held at arm’s length by a person standing on the ground.
The composite, referred to as the telescope’s first “deep field,” is part of a larger collection of full color images, more of which were unveiled on Tuesday. See below for images of the Carina Nebula, Stephan’s Quintet, and the Southern Ring Nebula.
Speaking on the profundity of the moment during a White House event with President Biden and Vice President Harris on Monday evening, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson—who made headlines last year with his remarks about us likely not being alone in the universe—pointed to the litany of possibilities facilitated by the telescope.
“There’s another thing that you’re going to find with this telescope: It is going to be so precise, you’re going to see whether or not planets, because of the chemical composition that we can determine with this telescope of their atmosphere, if those planets are habitable,” Nelson said.
See the full press conference below, then keep it locked to the Webb database page for the impending unveiling of additional images.
