NASA has been teasing that its James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest and most powerful space telescope in the world, will soon be releasing its first colored images.
Webb launched from Earth on Christmas Day, 2021, and since then, the $10 billion+ observatory has been gearing up for scientific operations with NASA engineers on Earth running it through numerous checks to prepare its highly advanced instruments. Now, Webb is beginning science operations, and NASA has already taken to its social channels to release the first colored image taken by Webb.
Above is the first image colored image taken by NASA's JWST, and according to NASA's website its, the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe ever taken. The image showcases galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, which contains thousands of galaxies and the faintest objects ever observed in infrared. Furthermore, NASA explains that this image and all of the galaxies contained within it covers a patch of sky equivalent to the size of a grain of sand held at arm's length.