James Webb Space Telescope vs Hubble Telescope Comparison


Use the tool below to explore the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, with images taken by the new James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Telescope.

Physics Astronomy




On 12th July 2022, several images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) were released to the public for the first time. Above is the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723. What you see is a very tiny patch of sky about the equivalent in size to the area a grain of sand takes up when holding it at arm's length.

The tool allows you to pan and zoom around the image, in addition to toggling an equivalent photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.


Credits

  • The Hubble image is based on observations taken by the RELICS Treasury Program (GO 14096) with the NASA/ESA HST, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. https://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/relics/color_images/smacs0723-73.html
  • The JWST image comes from https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2022/038/01G7JGTH21B5GN9VCYAHBXKSD1