James Webb Space Telescope Photos are Spectacular

The James Webb Space Telescope revealed its first four images this week. Find out what these images depict and their significance in understanding the universe and humanity’s place within it.

I’ll admit I’d been feeling a little trepidation about the new James Webb Space Telescope. I couldn’t help reflecting back thirty years to the launch of its predecessor, Hubble.

The original deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope was less than a triumph. Its first images outperformed ground-based telescopes, but they weren’t as sharp as everyone expected.

Hubble’s main parabolic mirror was off by just 2 microns. That was enough to give it a reputation as a billion dollar boondoggle, until astronauts doing a spacewalk adjusted the optics.

First Images are Nothing Short of Awe-Inspiring

I doubt I was the only one half-expecting a repeat of what came to be known as the “Hubble Trouble.” However, Webb (we’ll have to get used to calling it that) proved doubting Thomases like me spectaculary wrong this week.

Webb’s first images are nothing short of awe-inspiring. Considering that this is the…