NASA Shares First Image Captured By James Webb Space Telescope; Don't Miss
They aren't the most stunning cosmic photos, but they mark a huge scientific milestone.
The wait is finally over.The team behind NASA's James Webb Space Telescope some of the first images from the much-anticipated observatory on Friday (Feb. 11).Shows a star called HD 84406
The telescope is designed to see further than the Hubble Space Telescope, including glimpsing some of the universe's oldest galaxies. But NASA says just getting all of its 18 golden mirror segments perfectly aligned will take three months.
The very first light to hit Webb, which was launched from South America on Dec. 25, came from a star 258.5 light-years away in the Big Dipper or Ursa Major constellation -- known as HD 84406.
JWST takes a selfie photo
The James Webb Space Telescope takes a selfie photo of its primary mirror in space, one of the first images NASA released from the $10 billion observatory. Photo courtesy of NASA
Because the mirror's segments aren't aligned yet, one of the images released is a mosaic showing 18 photos of the star. Another image released Friday is a black and white selfie taken by Webb of the main mirror.
One of the first image taken by the JWST
But NASA officials have said even such blurry images were a treat to see for people who have worked for decades on the project.
Webb sees the universe in infrared light, whereas Hubble detects visible light. Both may be in operation for years simultaneously.