- Thousands of Galaxies Emerged for the First Time Within Webb’s View
- The Galaxy Cluster SMACS 0723 as it Appeared 4.6 Billion Years Ago is Shown in the Image
According to NASA, the James Webb Space Telescope “has produced the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. Webb’s First Deep Field is a stunning image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 that overflows with detail.”
Thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever seen in infrared light – have emerged for the first time within Webb’s view. This section of space encompasses a tiny area of sky about the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground, according to NASA.
The galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago is shown in the image. The combined mass of this galaxy cluster acts as a gravitational lens, magnifying and distorting even farther galaxies behind it, NASA reports.