Joe Biden Shares James Webb Telescope's First Image, Incredible Photo Stuns Fans
U.S. President Joe Biden has shared on his Twitter account the first James Webb Telescope images, which he described as a historic moment for science and technology and "America and all humanity."
CNN reported that the image shows SMACS 0723, where a huge group of galaxy clusters acts as a magnifying glass for objects behind them.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Administrator Bill Nelson was present during the preview event at the White House.
Nelson said that the photo Biden has shared on his Twitter is the "deepest image of our universe that has ever been taken."
The distant galaxies and star clusters that were shown in the image were believed to have appeared 4.6 billion years ago, with some of those described as never seen before.
Webb's Near-Infrared Camera was used to capture the images.
James Webb Telescope First Image
NASA announced that there are 17 modes to use the James Webb Space Telescope's scientific instruments. The agency added that the instruments are all ready for use, as reported by ABC News report.
The Webb Telescope took a test image, providing what is to come ahead once the full-color images are released.
The telescope's instruments include the Fine Guidance Sensor, which provides "strong, clear, and sharp" images. Its purpose is to ensure that the target image is accurately focused, not to capture the images.
Meanwhile, the "false-color mosaic" is composed of 72 exposures taken during a 32-hour period, according to the space agency. The image release will include the Carina Nebula, WASP-96b, the Southern Rin Nebula, and Stephan's Quintet.
NASA jointly developed the Webb Telescope with European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
Space Image
Biden said that the images show the oldest-documented light in the history of the universe from over "13 billion years ago."
Nelson said before the release of the images that they will be giving humanity a new view of the cosmos, adding that it is a view that they "have never seen before," according to an Aljazeera report.
The Webb observatory is believed to be worth $9 billion. It was named after the NASA head who spearheaded the Apollo space program in the 1960s.
The Webb project was launched from French Guiana on South America's northeastern coast in December 2021. It reached its final destination less than a month later, being 1.6 million kilometers away from Earth.
The project has given scientists the opportunity to explore the evolution of galaxies and the stars' life space, including the moons of the outer solar system.
Webb's 30-year-old predecessor is the Hubble Space Telescope, which mainly works at ultraviolet wavelengths. The Webb telescope is reportedly about 100 times more sensitive than the Hubble Telescope.
The Webb deputy project scientist, Jonathan Gardner, said that the recent telescope of NASA can see backward in time to just after the Big Bang.
Webb's 18 hexagonal segments allow experts to observe objects at a greater distance than Hubble or any other telescope.
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Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Biden, Harris preview first images from Webb Space Telescope - from Washington Post