Thanks to the $10bn James Webb Space Telescope, we are beginning to "see" the radiant heat of the early universe like never before. On Monday night, to the excitement of professional astronomers and amateurs the world over, the telescope's first full-colour image of deep space was released. The striking image, taken at minimally explored wavelengths and never-before-seen resolution, reveals a large number of universal objects.
The image is yet to be fully analysed but some objects are relics（遗迹）dating to within 0. 7bn years of the Big Bang, the explosion that created our universe 13. 8bn years ago. A new era （时代）of astronomy, in which we can finally see the oldest objects in the universe and gain a fuller understanding of its origins, has officially begun.
Tuesday saw four more important results emerge from the Webb's first week of observations. Chris Lintott, professor of astrophysics at Oxford University and a researcher on galaxy （星系）formation, said he was blown away by the quality and beauty of the images. "It knocked my socks off," Lintott said on Tuesday. "I was sitting in a roomful of galaxy experts when the Stephan's Quintet image was shown, and jaws hit the floor. The Webb is going to produce some of the most amazing pictures of the space age."
Webb's "first deep field", as the image of deep space released on Monday is known, is a picture taken over 12.5 hours. It shows the cotton-wool-like galaxy cluster（团）SMACS 0723 centrally in the foreground, plus bright white stars.
As Lintott points out, bigger light-collecting mirrors result in sharper images, of the type that Webb is now delivering. The investment in the James Webb Space Telescope's large foldable mirror has paid off. It is hard to believe that the Earth-orbiting telescope, regarded as one of the most complex engineering projects ever attempted and nearly cancelled a decade ago, has begun operating successfully.
