NASA unveils the first photo taken by the new high-performance James Webb Space Telescope

This is the first official snapshot taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, which evolves 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.

She was eagerly awaited. Here it is. This is the very first official image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, which is 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. It was presented on July 11, 2022 during a special event organized by the American space agency (Nasa) and the president of the United States, Joe Biden.

The deepest, sharpest infrared image of the distant universe

According to NASA, this first image from the James Webb Space Telescope ” is the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date “. It targets galaxy cluster SMACS 0723.” This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky roughly the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by a person on the ground. “, adds the agency.

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James Webb set to take over from Spitzer

Thus, the astrophysicist Eric Lagadec of the Observatory of the Côte d’Azur has relayed a comparison between an image obtained by Spitzer and that of James Webb. Both telescopes see the same star there — named 2MASS J17554042+6551277. ” What can I say, except that we are all really looking forward to seeing the observations? », Comments the scientist.

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