The first image from Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope has been revealed, showing what is said to be the “deepest”This is the most accurate picture of cosmos we have seen to date.
Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, the picture showcases a galaxy cluster called SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago.
This image was presented by Joe Biden, the US President, on Monday night at an event at The White House.
Bill Nelson, a Nasa administrator, stated that the picture was representative of “just a tiny sliver of the vast universe”.
He said: “Webb’s First Deep Field is not only the first full-colour image from the James Webb Space Telescope, it’s the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant Universe, so far.
“This image covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length.”
(PA Graphics)PA Graphics/Press Association Images. – PA Graphics
The telescope lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on Christmas Day last year on its mission to unlock the secrets of the universe.
The image was taken by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and is a composite made from images at different wavelengths.
The combined mass of the galaxy-cluster acts as a gravitational mirror, magnifying the distant galaxies.
(PA Graphics)PA Graphics/Press Association Images. – PA Graphics
Webb’s NIRCam has brought those distant galaxies into focus, revealing tiny, faint structures that have never been seen before.
Researchers will soon begin to learn more about the galaxies’ masses, ages, histories and compositions as Webb seeks to view the earliest galaxies in the Universe.
Nasa and its partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Canadian Space Agency, will release the entire series of Webb’s first full-colour images on Tuesday during a live Nasa TV broadcast.
Josef Aschbacher, ESA director general, said: “What an incredible honour for ESA and its international partners to reveal Webb’s first image from the White House.
“Only with teamwork, dedication, and the human drive to push boundaries and explore have we arrived at this historical moment of seeing the deepest view of the early universe to date.”