Meghan is a senior writer at Space.com and has more than five years' experience as a science journalist based in New York City. She joined Space.com in July 2018, with previous writing published in outlets including Newsweek and Audubon. Meghan earned an MA in science journalism from New York University and a BA in classics from Georgetown University, and in her free time she enjoys reading and visiting museums. Follow her on Twitter at @meghanbartels.
Biden hailed the image for its representation of international cooperation and the power of science."This telescope embodies how America leads the world, not by the example of our power, but the power of our example," he said.
Meanwhile, today's image shows SMACS 0723. That uninspiring designation marks a galaxy so massive that it bends and magnifies light coming from objects in space behind it as seen by the observatory. The combination of JWST's high-powered observing capabilities and the effect of gravitational lensing means that this image is the deepest infrared view of the universe that humans have seen to date.
Simultaneously, the spacecraft deployed from a launch-friendly compact configuration, including unfurling the massive kite-shaped sunshield that allows the observatory to study the cosmos in infrared light. The telescope also unfolded its golden mirror and spent weeks finetuning the positions of its 18 hexagonal segments.
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