The James Webb Space Telescope of NASA has produced the most detailed and precise infrared image of the outer reaches of the cosmos to date. Galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, which is part of Webb's First Deep Field, is home to thousands of galaxies, including some of the weakest infrared objects yet seen.

If you cannot understand the above, look at it like this. Every tiny dot you see in the above image without spikes? That’s a whole new galaxy. Yes!

As NASA TV says, a small sliver of the immense universe, Webb's image is about the size of a grain of sand held out at arm's length. This galaxy cluster's total mass functions as a gravitational lens to magnify more distant galaxies, including some that were first observed when the universe was only a few billion years old.

This deep field was captured by Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). It is a composite made from images taken over a period of 12.5 hours at various wavelengths, going deeper than the Hubble.

It is also important in the sense that Webb’s MIRI image offers a kaleidoscope of colors and highlights where the dust is – a major ingredient for star formation, and ultimately life itself. Blue galaxies contain stars, but very little dust. The red objects in this field are enshrouded in thick layers of dust. Green galaxies are populated with hydrocarbons and other chemical compounds. Researchers will be able to use data like these to understand how galaxies form, grow, and merge with each other, and in some cases why they stop forming stars altogether.