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US President Biden unveils first image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope

Space

CIO Bulletin
2022-07-12

President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson unveiled the first science-quality image captured by the agency’s most powerful space telescope until now, the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope at the White House.

The image is the deepest infrared view of the Universe to date, according to a NASA statement, and was created using just 12.5 hours of observing time on one of the telescope’s four instruments.

Vice President Harris said today represented an exciting new chapter in exploring our Universe. She added that from the beginning of history, humans have looked up to the night sky with wonder. Thanks to dedicated people who have worked for decades in engineering and scientific marvels, we can look to the sky with a new understanding.

The incredibly detailed deep field image of some of the most distant galaxies seen from the Earth showcases the mighty power of the telescope. It serves as a teaser for even more awe-inspiring images of the Universe that are still to come.

The image is one of the handfuls of inaugural full-color images that NASA plans to unveil this week to revel the start of science operations for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).