Almost6 months after the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers began receiving images from powerful telescopes, showing the distance of space.
NASA will not release some of these images to the public until July 12, but astronomers have given us a glimpse of what to expect.
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said the "First Light" image "impressed me as a scientist, an engineer, and a human." "First light" generally refers to the telescope being used to make scientific observations for the first time after being tested and calibrated.
Thomas Zurbuchen, The leader of NASA's science program said at a news conference on Wednesday that the images shed almosttears.
"It's really difficult not to look at the universe from a new perspective, and it's not just about having a very personal moment," he said. "It's a moving moment to see nature suddenly release some of its secrets, and imagine it and look forward to it."
The European Space Agency's Ariane5 rocket launched the James Webb Space Telescope into space on Christmas Day 2021. I opened the shade and traveled almost a million miles from the earth.
As a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, Webb took nearly 20 years to design, build and test before launch.
