James Webb Space Telescope: NASA's First Images Explained

The first images from the world's most powerful telescope let us see deeper into space than ever before. Here's how NASA's "time machine" saw invisible light from billions of years ago.
0:00 Intro
0:44 First Pictures Explained
2:51 What is the James Webb Space Telescope?
4:09 Where does JWST orbit?
6:45 Cameras onboard
9:01 What makes JWST a game changer?
Claire on Twitter: @reillystyley
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[@adamlubert3404]

It’s crazy how these images are taken of things unimaginabley far away, and yet, there are still universes as small as grains of sand that are even further than that

[@eddievargas704]

what are we?

[@emanuelgaldes3515]

Other galaxies perhaps, not universes. As at this time of writing and as far as I know, we only know about this universe. Any other universe is probably not even theorised yet, just speculated on.

[@scottg6754]

@@emanuelgaldes3515 True a working hypothesis only. The math works but I can't see how you can get any real evidence for it to be a theory. But, the same could be said about finding in our Galaxy and Universe. The math suggests there is but it is all a hypothesis at the moment.

[@lawrencebacus9182]

Too much marvel movies 🙃

[@jakecx259]

It’s fake

[@Jath2112]

I was on lunch at work and I had tears on my face. The same thing happened when I saw the "old" Hubbell UDF... ... looking out that far.... is overwhelming. It is impossible to really explain it to people...who don't get it. It's hard to handle that part.... I can't have much of a conversation about it with most of my close people...they just say "oh wow cool"... but... thankfully my coworker is on the same page. Humbled and amazed.... it's not like pointing a telescope at something and seeing way more.... it's pointing a telescope at nothing, and seeing the beginning of everything

[@brianbatista8569]

I know exactly what you mean! Like this just humbeled me and made me happy. It took my existential anxieties away. We’re nothing and everything at the same time. I hate that most ppl are not into this stuff. Society has done a great job of blocking peoples 3rd eye.

[@animeknowledge5048]

I'm glad I'm not alone

[@MarioDallaRiva]

Human ingenuity is impressive. If only we weren’t so messed up… Amazing insights into the past and this Universe. 👏🏼

[@Jath2112]

Hopefully no zealots find a way to bomb the telescope

[@emanuelgaldes3515]

One comes with the other it seems.

[@hudhinton1880]

True, but maybe something for the country and world to rally around will help.

[@goldenwarrior5664]

Galileo was put in prison by the church for less

[@bertsmith5569]

humans are exceptionally good at making tools, the JWST is just caveman wheel on steroids unfortunately we can't shake our reptilian brain inclinations.

[@rgerber]

It's amazing how that kind of "ultra deep field" picture has so many distorted galaxies/stars. The view is so deep that it goes trough so many dense gravitional distortions. And it just seems like a normal picture... now imagine what else is to come

[@Ranger-sl3qq]

That’s space time lol. Absolutely insane. It’s very weird to think about how it just bends

[@paulowens2062]

Let me guess, uh.. the jetsons

[@robinhodgkinson]

I’m not sure this is a typical view. I think they looked at his area because of the insane gravitational lensing going on that reveals galaxies further away that the JWST would normally be able to resolve - 13 billion light years away. Which is totally awesome. What you’re seeing here is in a sense a telescope looking down a telescope! Wrap your head around that one. : )

[@bekindist]

It's cool to be able to see the curvature of spacetime so clearly. And the nebulae are beautiful :)

[@benmcreynolds8581]

I think they just happened to discover that lensing effect after the first hubble 2 week exposure photo. I think I heard they just picked a area of the sky that was completely block and void of stars to our initial vision. Then they just wanted to see what happens when they point it at a dark black void spot that seems empty... Well "the more you know" now we realize there is a ton of galaxies and activity in a area we that was not that full of much at first. (I could be wrong, I'll accept if I'm was incorrect about this. So feel free to mention anything because maybe I'm getting something confused and mixed up lol)

[@APAstronaut333]

That’s so cool. It’s good that in our species there are dedicated people like these pushing the boundaries of our understanding of reality

[@joedirt6073]

You have no clue about our reality This is CGI

[@creamberriesxd2298]

@@joedirt6073 🤓🤓🤓

[@joedirt6073]

@@creamberriesxd2298 Most are like you

[@APAstronaut333]

@@joedirt6073 neither do you then. Enjoy the cgi!

[@joedirt6073]

@@APAstronaut333 You are correct...we have all been lied to...and why wouldn't the controllers lie to us?

[@hardwire12]

I wasn't overly taken back by the "deep field" view until you said it was an area the size of a grain of sand. Thank you - that put things into perspective for me. Great video!

[@eljay5009]

Compare it to the Hubble image of the same area - and you'll see just how much higher resolution and how much deeper Webb goes.

[@wZem]

@@eljay5009 Also Hubble needs 1-2 weeks of exposure for these images. JWST can do it in half a day.

[@eljay5009]

@@wZem Yep - JWST's light gathering area is over 6 times larger than Hubble's Plus it's sensors are likely to be much more sensitive.

[@GiggityGig]

Can this sensor make its way into our phone camera sensor?

[@eljay5009]

@@GiggityGig Probably not, JWSTs senors are rather large. The technological advancements in terms of sensitivity etc will filter down though as they always tend to do.

[@jrsands]

I’m looking forward to 25 years of spectacular science being delivered by WEBB! It’s been so long coming!

[@nihilist1680]

We won't last that long. The nuclear war is coming and everyone will die in a mutually assured destruction.

[@teresitamarino6693]

First You are going thru a polars magnetic shift, followed by Earth axis change,. Then if You are around You Will see a different sky, bye

[@SolidBased]

@@teresitamarino6693 😂and I thought I was a tin hatter lol!!!

[@joedirt6073]

It's CGI you dope

[@SolidBased]

@@joedirt6073 🤣your an idiot lol I’m sure Joe Dirt is a flat earther too😂 smfh! Funny af that people like this still exists!!!

[@Crimsonhawkk]

True amazement I love anything to do with space for many reasons but the main one is my dad he is my space hero he built the replacement battery for the Hubble space telescope and also a battery that is in one of the Smithsonian and a battery that’s for display at his work. He also was given a piece of the Hubble Space Telescope’s heat shield and it’s in our living room it is one of my most prized possessions because of its significance. 😄

[@glennnile7918]

For the world, it's significance is incalculable. For you and your families, I can't even imagine.

[@ahmedtheegyptian8297]

Who is your father?

[@Wer-bist-du-JEH]

@@ahmedtheegyptian8297 One amazing man I can imagine

[@favorite2523]

Cool

[@damonbutler9026]

Can we get a picture of that?

[@johnrambo6296]

Imagine the power of the next-generation telescope that will replace James Webb ..... Let's start the count down ( 20 years )

[@michaelb.5893]

Great overview! Just what I was looking for. Very well done. Thank you.

[@zodsinclair8500]

Yup! @1:45 "A picture with 150 MILLION Pixels!" Thats the info I was looking for, So the only way to See the real picture in proper definition, would be to have a tv screen as big as the sky....so yeah, have to dub it down.

[@nasilemak868]

I love the fact that those images are captured looked like 80s rock album covers

[@mahmud9490]

What is really amazing is that pictures that we saw from Hubble telescope are pretty much the similar. The only real difference is they are much further away. Universe is much bigger than what we expected.

[@sepiarain]

I got really into amateur astronomy around the time they'd started placing the mirrors on JWST... you could watch the assembly on 24h webcams... I just couldn't get enough of the bizarre and mind blowing facts about our universe... And being in a pitch black field with a telescope finding galaxies on my own, contemplating the length of time those photons had been travelling before landing on my mirror and reflecting into my eye inspired such awe, the feeling and experience was almost spiritual. I remember around then it feeling like a LONG long time until Webb would be doing science (thinking about it, this was 10 - 12 years ago)... the first images are spectacular - the choice to redo the deep field is amazing and a a great homage to hubble (that original experiment/exercise and it's result was always my go to anecdote about the universe to express to others what was so magical, exciting and compelling about the pursuit of knowledge and understanding re:the cosmos). Great targets as everyone no matter their level of interest or understanding will be impressed, inspired and touched by what they are seeing. Truly a new era for humanity and our relationship with the universe. The levels of awe are impossible to express.

[@mugume]

To God be the glory, the honour and the praise. He who created all this!

[@justinmcgrath6763]

@@mugume did he tho? 🤔

[@sepiarain]

@@justinmcgrath6763 looking increasingly likely. 😂😅😑

[@DarkAngelEU]

We're so blessed to witness these images.

[@halo20678]

Just imagine in 100 years from now

[@superman1AK]

That image of hundreds of galaxies is something. Seeing how small we are compare to the universe, think about it, every star you see in the sky is just in our own milky Way galaxy alone, so every galaxy you see in that image have the same or more stars than our own, not including planets. WOW something to really get you thinking. Amazing

[@loukinistino9010]

I watched a few days ago live looking at the raw images and was so amazed. Now I am doing my best to process and stretch my crazy mind even further!

[@johnnymerk1]

I’m very interested in the James Webb images. I’ve already changed my phone screen savers to the Carina Nebula photo so I can study it all of the time. I’m excited to see the next batch of photos. Thank You for the video

[@nmj8196]

Same 😂

[@markusjohansen2187]

those images are spectacular i have been looking at them all day almost and they are truly stunning. seeing how far we can see how detailed those images are and seeing those gas cloads and distent galaxies seeing the red shift the warping of galaxies behind other galaxies. just simply wow. a cant wait to see what more this great telescope sees and what we find in those great images. what answers we will get and the new quiestions we will ask about our universe. truly spectacular

[@emanuelgaldes3515]

It is very likely that you will get far more questions than answers and any further knowledge is bound to be disconcerting. One day science will declare: Know what? God exists.

[@brianmcdonough217]

Wonderful presentation of the James Webb as truly a game-changer in astronomy and cosmology

[@jimprince2000]

What was my first reaction looking at these pictures??? I had tears in my eyes.

[@lgthriggerhilariousainthe5993]

The view of the latest space pictures is so awesome and amazing to look at. It's something that got my mind wondering what it would be like being physically at such a distance from the earth. I am also curious to find out what interpretations will be made about the latest discovered star structures by astrologers and cosmic geniuses. What a time to be alive.

[@mis4nthr0p3]

Astrologers?

[@emanuelgaldes3515]

They aren't geniuses. They just know a bit more than you because they have spent their whole lives considering the matter. Had they been geniuses they would probably already have guessed it in their head. Patently not so. Amazing and awesome mean the same.

[@ahayseed654]

Astrologers will just make it up. Duh!

[@FF-KillThemAlll]

*astronomers”

[@gs8527]

Absolutely breathtaking, and a thrilling breakthrough. Human ingenuity at its best! However, and I'm glad nobody knows where I live, seeing space as it existed 13 billion years ago it's a bit of a downer - even some galaxies may not exist anymore. Additionally, the vast majority of humanity can't even fully comprehend the magnitude of this astonishing feat. And since not everybody has 500K lying around for a quick trip to space or will ever join a mission to Mars... Couldn't they use the JWST to show such detailed images of our Milky Way Galaxy, and of the planets from our own solar system? Imagine how that would look like...

[@moisdawg]

I agree I'd like to see more milky way stuff lol

[@yellowstoneloyal8186]

As Homer Simpson would say" BOOOORRRRING

[@1015SaturdayNight]

Apparently they are going to be exploring planets and solar systems closer to us :)

[@yellowstoneloyal8186]

@@1015SaturdayNight Aww, how precious, just another waste of taxpayers money

[@ProfreshionalLifeBeyond]

I thoroughly enjoyed your video. Seeing the images without basic understanding is just like looking at arts. There is so much to be investigated and discovered. Thank you. Best wishes from Melbourne.

[@thatismusic]

The best and clearest overview of this awesome time machine

[@thts.my_voic]

This Is amazing, I am looking forward to all the amazing pictures.

[@regkidd]

Fantastic. We still have so much to learn, and this great new tool will provide huge learnings. It will no doubt be the forerunner leading to even more advanced tools to follow in coming years

[@mutchlouis9707]

You guys should cover more of these.

[@Sanzitvilla]

It's so complicated to explain space to friends who have no idea about what space is.....but also i enjoy telling them facts that i know about space😃😃😃

[@oonigraphics2361]

Amazing. I'm so exited about what's coming next. Cmon James Webb, surprise the cosmos lovers.

[@user-ci7vu7eo9w]

not much.we need way more poverfull telescope

[@Ubbenstein]

I'm so humbled by these pictures, they are just astounding! To think every single one of those galaxies seen could potentially host life, for me it's very inspiring. I hope many people will begin to understand what we are part of. At my previous job I happened to share some facts about a planet in a coffeetable conversation. Coworker said playfully to another collague "he's so into these space things!" Well, why wouldn't I be? Everything we know are here, in space, by a narrow chance. This is our home. It's like talking about your neighborhood.

[@avarmauk]

So excited about all the cool things we will see and learn.

[@lamwingman1]

Thank you very much for the explanation, it is super clear! Now I understand more about how it works!

[@asktoseducemiss434]

impossible to express.

[@gekcko123]

It 's very informative. Thank you

[@forcenationlll3]

thanks for the breakdown and info you guys are awesome!!!

[@kidsfunny3869]

Thanks for sharing knowledge

[@jasonyoungblood9359]

Very good documentary! Great video!

[@glennnile7918]

I may have had to wait a good chunk of my life for this one but Nasa and the James Webb team knocked this one out of the park. Congratulations on doing the impossible, in such a spectacular way. You all will be remembered forever.

[@ijyoyo]

Awesome Camera design. Great Work.

[@corbitmantonya5354]

I love it! I nerd out on this stuff and I love this video!

[@adbrown8626]

Thank you. It made more sense now 🙏⭐️

[@mattchenard591]

amazing beyond words

[@niemerow1953]

It would be helpful to see a side-by-side comparison of the Webb images next to the same Hubble image or ground based telescope image.

[@devinboggs6391]

Nasa has them side by side for the deep field image on their website.

[@timwilson5410]

Go to Fraser Cain, JSWT First colour images explained. He does this. Much better video.

[@eljay5009]

The area is called SMACS 0723 - there is a Hubble image of the same area.

[@nelsonnicolas3779]

Owesome findings! Well done!

[@youngchoi4083]

I admire James Webb and love KZbin more than ever.

[@aaronparys1750]

Amazing Images !! .... Such an Exciting time to alive!!

[@hesselmeilech4146]

These are spectacular photos and your talk was profound. I think that we all want to know if and what form of life is out there

[@graceisawesome539]

Thank you Tanerelle for teaching me about Stephan's Quintet!

[@eb60lp]

Amazing! Simply amazing!

[@garyperkovac1002]

We are born anew... waiting to grow up. It's unbelievable what we are seeing from the very first images of the James Webb telescope.

[@ruperterskin2117]

Cool vid. Thanks for sharing.

[@soundproofingexpert]

great presentation!

[@guido5230]

Wow !!! I hope to see and know more!

[@babafemiladipo2519]

Astonishing and Breathtaking...

[@jumpingsloth3963]

How light travels is mind-boggling. So if we were able to achieve interstellar travel, moving towards those distant galaxies and space bodies, you would see a rapid change in the visuals of said space objects(relative to earth terms)

[@davidvieni9653]

Amazing things coming from this I cant wait!

[@RakibulHassanRakib]

Imagine someone is watching our present from a far distance as the past.........

[@petermontagnon4440]

Saw some gravitational lensing, cool!!!

[@peterhagan8454]

I am constantly amazed by invention, the janes Webb telescope spring release cover and shield opening man alive that is beautiful

[@miramira7031]

This is making my heart race 💓 Absolutely fascinating 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓🌷

[@almightynz2683]

This is fascinating

[@MusicholicDr]

To learn about space is always fasinating 🔥🔥🔥🔥, man has come so far and so much to learn still 🔥🔥

[@topicruben]

Thanks for all the info 🙏

[@i2really1der]

The photo of the nebula seems artistic. So far, that one was worth the trip.

[@user-wb3uc4oe2b]

Very impressive thankyou

[@asktoseducemiss434]

I am really grateful about being able to witness these images from current technology.

[@kks319]

Incredible images..

[@jawadasghar9618]

Incredible pictures

[@jrai30]

Truely amazing.. Getting closer to finding life out there.

[@CapraDemon101]

Those images are humbling to say the least

[@theSpoodStop]

This is unbelievable! I'm almost so positive we will find other habitable planets. So so EXCITING!!!!

[@isaabustamante279]

Just imagine the Galaxys/stars and planets we could found, and maybe the next step, knowing more about the origin of the universe, to be honest, and talking about some things as the "deep field" i'm with a very big expectation of this project, the data we can seek and collect from there is something that we can see in a few days, months and years. And as in the video says(other fact that let me fascinating) we travel around millions years light ago...

[@Islamicrelaxation_129]

Beautiful Space scenery

[@ulricbaraka]

This is truly the best way to appreciate the universe

[@sbadran202]

Amazing pictures and data that make us wonder about the power that created such a universe, which we are still trying to understand it’s origin

[@hectorc941]

Jehova is the Creator.

[@mohsinrao2488]

ALLAH

[@FalconX79]

Big bang. Evolution in all it's glory.

[@mohsinrao2488]

@@FalconX79 ALLAH MAKES EVERYTHING THIS IS BELIEVE OF EVERY MUSLIM THATS RIGHT

[@benmcreynolds8581]

The southern ring nebula dying star literally looks like when you spilt open a geode and find a thunder egg 🥚🍳 type structure.... It's amazing!!!

[@teacherchil]

thanks for your amazing video

[@NeoWind]

I’m amazed by the photos

[@sagan7960]

just stunning

[@epicmatter3512]

It is amazing that with the mid infrared sensor that we can see the binary star system very clearly in the Southern Ring Nebula.

[@MegasXLR]

This is awesome!

[@eldinarifovic3903]

Space is fascinating

[@npvishnu93]

This is beautiful 💫

[@yuggsriddle340]

Yep that scope putting work

[@gbel78]

One thing to consider: we are ALWAYS watching the past, even if the theme is the mobile devise you are holding right now.

[@emanuelgaldes3515]

We just live in the present. The past is the present slipped by. The future is a mental construct. We understand very little about the past, most of which is not available to study in the first place. We hardly understand anything of the present and we are certainly practically completely idiotic about the future. If you wish to continue to think that man is great because of the JWT, then look at all the ignorance JWT will throw into our faces. Oh what is that and the other and that other one? Yeah, exactly.

[@onkar9754]

@@emanuelgaldes3515 nihalist?

[@cinemalazare4850]

@@emanuelgaldes3515 what? i dont understand what you're trying to say? what do you mean???????

[@jefferee2002]

I'm just in awe.

[@RamZar50]

The comparison images between JWST & HST is where you really see how spectacular JWST is and we know it’ll get even better going forward. Most looking forward to those early galaxies with maximum detail. Also, zooming in to Saturn & Jupiter and their interesting moons. A closer look at the Mars polar regions. Perhaps even finding the hidden Planet 9 of our solar system (not Pluto).

[@eljay5009]

Yeh - I hope they re-do the Hubble Ultra Deep Field with the JWST......i'm sure it'll be on the list of targets

[@RamZar50]

@@eljay5009 HUDF took something like 77 days of observations into that narrow patch of very dark sky. I’m sure it’s in the planning stages for JWST and it’ll only take a few days. Seeing those very early galaxies in detail, currently showing up as red smudges, would be amazing. I’d also like to see the center of our Milky Way and its Supermassive Black Hole in great clarity.

[@eljay5009]

@@RamZar50 JWST doesn't have the resolution to see the black hole. Remember JWST's mirror is only 6.5m across. EHT simulated a mirror that was the size of the Earth.

[@RamZar50]

@@eljay5009 That fuzzy EHT image of Sagittarius A* was inspirational. I read that JWST will study the Sagittarius A* in detail during its first year in conjunction with EHT. The objective is to observe the jets of gas emanating from the black hole at light speed. The byproduct could well be a higher resolution image of Sagittarius A*.

[@rashadabdulazeem5387]

It is totally mind blowing to see these images, our universe is amazing and puzzling. We can never reach or see the end of it because there is no end!!

[@sparkglitch918]

There's an endless end that you can imagine (repeat these word 4 times)

[@khinmaungthein2624]

Thank you so much.👍👍👍❤

[@baslielalene4702]

Thank you

[@justines1919]

Wow, great story 🤩

[@DianneCollins]

Often the pivotal moments in science such as this one beyond amazing also harken a similar leap in human consciousness. That is my wish. Thank you NASA

[@jakecx259]

Your wish is granted, the earth is flat, now we can get rid of nasa together

[@venturefanatic9262]

I remember a day in High School there was a Tech from NASA talking about a Space Telescope they were starting to work on called Hubble.

[@FFMoment]

Thanks for explaining !!! Love From India 🇮🇳

[@lorriecarrel9962]

Been waiting a long time for what this engineering marvel will do

[@godfreymoseskalambo827]

Beautiful ❤

[@williamwardjr9043]

It is great seeing mankind expanding awareness and knowledge of the universe.

[@comet193]

truly stunning 😍

[@anavaldez7372]

Amazing!

[@martenjagtman472]

Wow great ! and amazing !

[@Th33d]

Thank you Claire! Nicely done. This is the best example of how/where/why of the James Webb works. :)