The James Webb Space Telescope’s first image was made public by the White House on Monday during a preview event.
The first image from the new James Webb Space Telescope from NASA may not look spectacular at first.
What appear to be specks in space, however, are billions of years old galaxies.
“What’s picked up in this image are some of the very first galaxies to form in the universe. More images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope should be able to reveal which galaxies in the far, far distance are habitable,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.
The first image from the telescope since it was launched from Earth more than six months ago has been made public by the White House and NASA.
It is “a momentous day,” President Biden announced on Monday.
Originally, NASA had planned to release the image today as part of a collection of the first scientific findings. However, NASA decided that because the image is so compelling, Biden should be the one to show it to the world.
The ten billion James Webb Space Telescope is the most advanced observatory to have ever been launched. It exited the planet in December.
It travelled one million miles from Earth by the end of January to arrive at its celestial parking spot. Since then, engineers have been examining the equipment, straightening the mirrors, and making sure the devices are functioning properly.
