The first full-color image from the James Webb Space Telescope was revealed on Monday by President Biden, showing a remarkable view of the distant universe.
The stunning image, SMACS 0723, shows a galaxy cluster as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. "If you held a grain of sand on the tip of your finger at arm's length, that is the part of the universe that you're seeing," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. "Just one little speck of the universe."
NASA says this is the sharpest infrared image ever produced of the early universe, and the telescope can focus so sharply that it's capturing some never-before-seen galaxies and star clusters. "These images are going to remind the world that America can do big things, and to remind the American people, especially our children, that there's nothing beyond our capacity," Biden said.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest space telescope ever built, and because it uses infrared, it can see stars and galaxies far beyond the range of other telescopes that see primarily visible light. Additional images from the telescope will be released by NASA on Tuesday, including a spectrum of an exoplanet.