MACON, Ga. — Monday evening at The White House, NASA and President Joe Biden released the first image from the James Webb Space Telescope, with more being released Tuesday morning.
Since launching in late 2021 from French Guiana in South America, the James Webb Space Telescope has ventured a million miles away from our planet and has provided scientists with one of the deepest images of space thus far.
President Biden said, "the oldest documented light in the history of the universe from over 13 billion -- let me say that again -- 13 billion years ago. It’s hard to fathom.”
"if you held a grain of sand on the tip of your finger at arm’s length, that is the part of the universe that you’re seeing — just one little speck of the universe," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Nelson continued, "Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. And that light that you are seeing on one of those little specks has been traveling for over 13 billion years."
Through its use of advanced infrared technology, the mirrors on the telescope can pick up light from structures light-years away, providing a crisp and clear image of deep space. It gives scientists more insight into how astronomical systems such as black holes, stars, galaxies, and more form.
This technology is revolutionary in terms of understanding the mysteries and events of our universe since the Big Bang.
The almost $10 billion devices are just getting started. It will continue to snap such photographs on its many-month journeys into space.
Check out the images released below:
