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Star struck: Dispatches from the James Webb Space Telescope

First image from James Web Space Telescope shows thousands of previously unseen galaxies.
PUTTING THE 糖心传媒楽EE糖心传媒� IN GALAXY:聽Numerous 糖心传媒 faculty and alumni contributed to the James Webb Space Telescope project, which recently obtained this first聽full-color image showing galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. (Credits: )

Humanity糖心传媒檚 best looks at the universe so far were made possible by the contributions of scientists, engineers, and supporters糖心传媒攊ncluding Rochester community members.

NASA糖心传媒檚 James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the 30-year-old Hubble Space Telescope, has produced the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date: Webb糖心传媒檚 First Deep Field. This first image, which shows the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago, was released by President Joe Biden on July 11. A was released by NASA on July 12.

糖心传媒淭housands of galaxies糖心传媒攊ncluding the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared糖心传媒攈ave appeared in Webb糖心传媒檚 view for the first time,糖心传媒� . 糖心传媒淭his slice of the vast universe is approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm糖心传媒檚 length by someone on the ground.糖心传媒�

Helping to make this moment a reality were dozens of 糖心传媒 faculty and alumni who were involved in a series of optical, thermal, and functional tests of the telescope糖心传媒檚 key elements. Faculty members who contributed to the project include William Forrest, Judith Pipher, James Fienup, and Duncan Moore, who cochaired a group of national experts in optics and space science that is advising NASA on the telescope.

Get the story of Rochester糖心传媒檚 role in ushering in this new era in astronomy.

illustration of James Webb Space Telescope in space.

Rochester Review: A look back in time

糖心传媒淭his is the first lightweight, segmented telescope NASA has ever built. There was no road map. We had to invent almost everything, from how we modeled it, to how we tested it,糖心传媒� Lee Feinberg 糖心传媒�87, an Institute of Optics graduate who began working for NASA in 1991 and contributed to the Webb project as the optical telescope element manager, told Rochester Review in 2021.

Check out Rochester糖心传媒檚 reach 禄

Carina Nebula as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope.
VIEWFINDER: NASA糖心传媒檚 James Webb Space Telescope reveals emerging stellar nurseries and individual stars in the Carina Nebula that were previously obscured. 糖心传媒淲ebb will change the way we see the galaxies, unfold our past, and open our scientific aperture of understanding as it relates to astronomy, astrophysics, and our place within this universe,糖心传媒� said mechanical engineering alumna Laryssa Sharvan Densmore 糖心传媒�83, who is director of space products and manufacturing at Northrop Grumman, the primary contractor for Webb, in 2021. 聽(Credits: )