After two decades and $10 billion — as well as a Congressional effort to kill the project — the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has finally delivered its first batch of science images. And, simply put, wow.
Yesterday (July 11), President Biden hosted a press briefing in which he presented the first teaser image from JWST. The image, the deepest infrared shot ever taken, shows a foreground galaxy cluster called SMACS 0723 that is acting as gravitational lens, revealing much more distant galaxies behind it. Due to their extreme distances, these ancient galaxies are heavily redshifted, appearing like bright orange-red tadpoles in a cosmic whirlpool.
(Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI)
