The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has taken a fresh look at a classic deep field, revealing thousands of distant galaxies that date back to the earliest periods of cosmic history. The image, obtained using the Mid-Infrared Instrument and Near-Infrared Camera, provides one of the deepest views ever obtained of the universe.
The data reveals over 2,500 sources in this tiny patch of sky, including hundreds of extremely red galaxies believed to be massive, dust-obscured systems or evolved galaxies with mature stars. The telescope’s sharp resolution allows researchers to study the light distribution within these galaxies, shedding light on their growth and evolution.
The colors used in the image highlight the fine distinctions astronomers can make with deep data. Orange and red represent longer mid-infrared wavelengths, while greenish-white galaxies are distant and high in redshift, shifting their light spectrum into peak mid-infrared wavelengths. This new observation continues and expands the deep field tradition, unveiling new details and insights into the formation of the first cosmic structures.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-08-image-webb-fresh-classic-deep.html