James Webb Telescope Released Stunning First Images

It has been two weeks since the first full-color images from the James Webb Space Telescope were released, and they are still as stunning as ever. Here’s a recap on what Webb has been up to, and what is coming next.

Webb’s First Deep Field

SMACS 0723, aka James Webb’s first deep field. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

The very first full-color image taken by Webb was released by NASA during a White House event on July 11th, 2022 with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. This image is the telescope’s first ever deep field image. The Hubble Space Telescope has taken several “deep field images,” but Webb’s became the deepest infrared image of the universe when it was released.

As seen in the photo above, Webb’s first deep field covers a patch of sky the size of a grain of sand held out at arm’s length by someone on the ground. This impressive image shows thousands of galaxies in an unfathomably small area of the night sky.

The Carina Nebula

The Carina Nebula taken by James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

In JWST’s stunning image of the Carina Nebula, never before seen details can be made out thanks to the telescope’s infrared abilities. In previous Hubble images, stars behind the clouds…