Nearly six months after the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers began receiving images from the powerful telescope showing the far reaches of the universe.
NASA will not share some of these images with the public until July 12, but astronomers have given us an idea of what to expect.
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said the images of the “first light” “excited me as a scientist, as an engineer and as a human being.” “First light” usually refers to the first time a telescope is used to make scientific observations after passing tests and calibrations.
Thomas Zurbuchen, head of NASA’s science programs, told a news conference Wednesday that he was almost moved to tears by the images.
“It’s really hard not to look at the universe in a new light and just not have a moment that is deeply personal,” he said. “It’s an emotional moment when you see nature suddenly reveal some of its secrets. And I would like you to imagine and look forward to it. ”
The European Space Agency’s Ariane 5 rocket launched the James Webb Space Telescope into space on Christmas 2021. In the following months, the telescope – considered the most powerful in the world – opened its sun shield and traveled nearly one million miles from Earth.
As the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, Webb took almost two decades to design, build and test before it was launched.
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