Webb’s first light reveals a plethora of galaxies in a tiny patch of sky

Enlarge / Image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, known as Webb’s first deep field image. (credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI)

More than three decades have come and gone since NASA last built a multibillion-dollar space telescope and commissioned it in space, so plenty of fanfare has accompanied the James Webb Space Telescope.

Unfortunately, the Hubble Space Telescope's primary mirror had been polished incorrectly. So when its first image was revealed in May 1990, the black-and-white result was underwhelming.

But one cannot say the same thing about Webb's first image, revealed Monday by US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during a White House event. "This telescope is one of humanity's great engineering achievements," Harris said just before sharing the photo.