The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revisited a famous deep-field image originally captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, revealing over 2,500 galaxies in an area of the sky previously thought to be empty. This new observation, which focused on the MIRI Deep Imaging Survey (MIDIS) region, was a marathon effort, with the JWST spending nearly 100 hours using its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).
The new image, which combines data from both instruments, offers an unprecedentedly detailed and deep view of the universe. Highlights of the new image include:
Hundreds of extremely red galaxies: These galaxies are likely massive systems filled with dust clouds or galaxies with old stars that formed at the dawn of the universe.
Insights into galaxy evolution: The high resolution of the JWST allows researchers to distinguish the structures of many of these galaxies, shedding light on their growth and evolution.
Detection of ancient galaxies: The JWST's infrared capabilities allowed it to pick up signals from galaxies that existed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. In one instance, a galaxy previously thought to be 11.8 billion years old was found to be closer to 13.3 billion years old, pushing its origins back to when the universe was only about 450 million years old.
The JWST's ability to observe in the infrared spectrum allows it to see through cosmic dust and detect the redshifted light of distant galaxies, which is stretched into longer, infrared wavelengths by the expansion of the universe. This makes it a powerful tool for continuing and expanding the legacy of deep-field imaging that was pioneered by Hubble, revealing a more complete picture of the cosmos and how it has evolved over billions of years.