Detailed image of outerspace

NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

A New Way of Seeing Stars

This telescope is zipping through space and taking amazing photos.

On July 11, the way we see space changed. Why? The world got its first look at color photos from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). A telescope is a tool used to look at faraway objects. 

The telescope was launched into space last year by NASA, the U.S. space agency. It takes photos of faraway galaxies. A galaxy is a group of stars and dust clouds. 

The JWST is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever! It’s the size of a three-story building. It sees through dust clouds in space. The images it takes are clearer than those from any other telescope. 

NASA/Chris Gunn

Scientists get the Webb telescope ready for its launch into space. 

The first photos, like the one on this page, show a galaxy cluster, or group. It contains thousands of galaxies that are billions of miles from Earth.

After seeing the images, President Joe Biden said, “We’re going to get a glimpse of light from other worlds, orbiting stars far beyond our own.” 

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