NASA has given a taste of what its new James Webb telescope is capable of by releasing a mesmerising new photo.
And this is just a test image – so imagine how impressive the real deal will be.
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After billions of dollars and years of delays, the most powerful telescope ever launched into space is finally ready to flex its muscles.
In less than a week the space agency will reveal the first full colour images.
But for now, astronomers have teased us with a test image.
It shows an “unexpected and deep view of the universe”.
In fact, it is among the deepest images of the universe ever taken, according to experts.
A massive 72 exposures over 32 hours were used to form the stunning shot.
Even bright stars and their sharply defined diffraction spikes can be clearly made out due to the advanced tech on board James Webb.
“With the Webb telescope achieving better-than-expected image quality, early in commissioning we intentionally defocused the guiders by a small amount to help ensure they met their performance requirements,” explained Neil Rowlands, whose part of the huge project.
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“When this image was taken, I was thrilled to clearly see all the detailed structure in these faint galaxies.
“Given what we now know is possible with deep broad-band guider images, perhaps such images, taken in parallel with other observations where feasible, could prove scientifically useful in the future.”
The photo was originally taken in May by Webb’s Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) but has only just been made public now.
Things get really existing on July 12, when Nasa will release a full colour photo which will be the deepest image of the universe ever captured – for a short time at least.
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