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In its largest composite image to date, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) showcases dazzling details of faraway supernovae and what is perhaps the earliest-known galaxy. The mosiac, released by the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey (CEERS), consists of 690 individual pictures, and at full resolution is a whopping 268MB. The findings are the first in a two-part survey to be completed by the end of the year.

Related: A stormy, iridescent Jupiter shines bright in Webb’s latest image

CEERS Webb mosaic at a glance

CEERS scientists looking at the Epoch 1 NIRCam color mosaic in TACC’s visualization lab at UT Austin. R. Larson

The completed mosaic is JWST’s largest survey to date and was made using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Dubbed Epoch 1, the target of the study is an area of the sky located near the Big Dipper’s handle. The results reveal previously unseen galaxies.

For reference, the CEERS Webb mosaic is eight times the size of JWST’s first deep field image that debuted at launch. However, in its current state, it represents less than half of the full survey researchers intend to complete by year’s end.

What can you see in the CEERS Webb mosaic?

“This image—a mosaic of 690 individual frames taken with the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on the James Webb Space Telescope—covers an area of sky about eight times as large as Webb’s First Deep Field Image released on July 12. It’s from a patch of sky near the handle of the Big Dipper. This is one of the first images obtained by the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey (CEERS) collaboration.” NASA/STScI/CEERS/TACC/S.Finkelstein/M. Bagley/Z. Levay

Zooming in, the CEERS team provides details on six regions. They show a diverse group of findings, including spiral galaxies, supernovae, star clumps and clusters, and galaxy pairs and alignments.

Additionally, pending further study and confirmation, JWST may have observed one of the earliest galaxies ever. Dubbed Maisie’s galaxy, it would appear we are observing it as it was less than 290 million years after the Big Bang. Talk about a galaxy far, far away!

A resolution comparison

JWST image (center) flanked by those taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope. CEERS

Researchers also used the CEERS Webb mosaic to compare JWST’s resolution capabilities to the Spitzer Space Telescope, which launched in 2003. JWST’s MIRI employs wavelengths previously unseen and unstudied at such a resolution, which will allow researchers to observe and distinguish distant celestial objects like never before.

What’s next for the CEERS team? Epoch 1, completed in June, will be followed by Epoch 2, scheduled for December 2022. We can only guess what they’ll uncover next.

Marissa Wu

Marissa Wu is the Assistant Editor at PopPhoto where she covers news and features. A hopeless francophile, she is happiest when roaming the streets of Paris with all of her film cameras.

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