James Webb is Open for Science! See The First Images From The Fully Operational JWST

by Jessica Hall

Finally, the suspense is over. The James Webb Space Telescope is open for science! Today, in a massive joint conference with the ESA and CSA, NASA released the first science images from the fully operational JWST. Mission scientists chose these beauty shots as an ideal showcase of Webb’s tools and talents.

So, without further ado:

DEEP FIELD

“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” -Douglas Adams, The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

The first image, an ultra-deep-field snapshot of the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, was presented by Jane Rigby of NASA’s Goddard Space Center. NASA officials revealed this very first inaugural image from the fully operational telescope to President Biden last night.

Looking into the deep sky means looking back in time. And this is a deep dive indeed. In this image, we see the universe as it was, more than thirteen…