James Webb Space Telescope Discovery

Webb Delivers Deepest Infrared Image of Universe Yet

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has produced the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant Universe to date. Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail. Thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared – have appeared in Webb’s view for the first time. This slice of the vast universe is approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground. This deep field, taken by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), is a composite made from images at different wavelengths, totaling 12.5 hours – achieving depths at infrared wavelengths beyond the Hubble Space Telescope’s deepest fields, which took weeks. The image shows the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. The combined mass of this galaxy cluster acts as a gravitational lens, magnifying much more distant galaxies behind it. Webb’s NIRCam has brought those distant galaxies into sharp focus – they have tiny, faint structures that have never been seen before, including star clusters and diffuse features. Researchers will soon begin to learn more about the galaxies’ masses, ages, histories, and compositions, as Webb seeks the earliest galaxies in the universe. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI Tags: deep field Webb's First Deep Field (NIRCam Image)
Webb’s First Deep Field (MIRI image)
Webb’s First Deep Field (MIRI and NIRCam Images Side by Side)
Webb Spectra Confirm Two Arcs Are the Same Galaxy (NIRISS Emission Spectra)
Webb Spectra Identify Galaxies in the Very Early Universe (NIRSpec MSA Emission Spectra)
Webb Spectrum Showcases Galaxy’s Composition (NIRSpec Emission Spectrum)
Raw images
SMACS0723 NIRISS (unofficial)
SMACS0723 NIRCam sw (unofficial)
SMACS0723 NIRCam lw (unofficial)
SMACS0723 MIRI (unofficial)
Zoomable SMACS 0723: ERO-2736 by DJA (unofficial)