Credit: Chandra X-ray Center

In a single breathtaking photograph, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed a crowded sky teeming with thousands of galaxies, some dating back billions of years.

Credit: ESA, Hubble, NASA, A. Riess, M. Zamani et al

The image, part of the COSMOS-Web project, captures distant cosmic neighborhoods where galaxies collide, merge, and give birth to new stars.

Led by Dr. Ghassem Gozaliasl of the University of Helsinki, scientists have focused on a brilliant cluster glowing in white-gold at the center of the scene. Thanks to Webb’s powerful infrared vision, researchers can now glimpse ancient galaxies invisible to older telescopes.

Credit: Chandra X-ray Center

The snapshot helps trace how galaxies grow, interact, and sometimes collide in tightly packed groups, shaping the universe’s history. “The farther away a galaxy is, the redder it appears,” noted the COSMOS-Web team, each color a clue to its age and past

Credit: Chandra X-ray Center

In less than a square degree of sky, Webb has opened a new chapter in our understanding of the early cosmos, one glowing, ancient galaxy at a time.

Stay curious with The Mekong Times. Dive deeper into the universe’s secrets and discover how ancient galaxies are rewriting the story of our cosmos.