NASA presents first full-colour image of early universe from James Webb space telescope

Image shows a distant galaxy cluster as it appeared more than 4 billion years ago

Last updated: July 12, 2022 | 11:16

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Washington: NASA presented the first full-colour image from the James Webb space telescope on Monday, calling it the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date.

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The image showing a cluster of galaxies is a deep field composite showing the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago, the US space agency said.

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US President Joe Biden released the image, the first of a set, in a preview event at the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris.

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The rest of the telescope's first full-colour images are due to be released on Tuesday. They were selected by representatives of various space agencies involved in the project.

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The so-called Carina Nebula, a type of gas cloud located around 7,600 light years away, and the WASP-96 b, a giant gas planet outside our solar system are among the cosmic objects that can be seen in the images, according to a NASA statement.

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The publication of the images marks the beginning of scientific work with the Webb, the largest and most powerful telescope ever launched into space.

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The James Webb telescope was launched on 25th December aboard an Ariane launch vehicle from the European Space Agency's Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

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Scientists hope the telescope's images will provide insights into the period immediately after the Big Bang some 13.8 billion years ago.

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The Webb took about 30 years to develop and cost around $10 billion. It is the successor of the Hubble telescope, which has been in use for more than 30 years.

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