--- title: "The First Webb Photo Will Blow Your Wig Off If You Zoom Out" description: "The first photo from the James Webb Space Telescope is already awe-inspiring enough — but as it turns out, that's only a fraction of the whole picture." date: "2022-07-14" modified: "2022-07-25" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/webb-zoom-out" categories: - "James Webb Space Telescope" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "James webb" - "NASA" - "space" - "the digest" --- # The First Webb Photo Will Blow Your Wig Off If You Zoom Out ![The first photo from the James Webb Space Telescope is already awe-inspiring enough — but as it turns out, that's only a fraction of the whole picture.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## My Stars The first photo from the James Webb Space Telescope is already awe-inspiring enough — but zooming out will give you a sense of the absolutely jaw-dropping scale of it. In the wake of the Webb's historic drop this week, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) released an [interactive sky map](), via its WorldWide Telescope (WWT), that allows users to zoom in and out of the part of space captured by the JWST, in one of the most stunning space tableaus imaginable. Remember, those aren't stars — they're galaxies, crystal clear in just a tiny slice of the sky. As [the AAS noted in a response](), the zoomed-out image includes a "blurry" background because it came from [NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer]() (WISE), an Explorer-era infrared telescope launched in 2009 and reactivated in 2013. ## Telescopic Initially [launched by Microsoft Research in 2008](), briefly owned by GitHub, and now run by the AAS, the open-source WWT's old-school interface contains incredible tools to explore the known universe using data and photographs from tons of space telescopes, with Webb being the latest among them. While posting a video demonstrating the WWT's incredible zoom in-and-out action that [rivals 1977's legendary "Powers of 10" mini-documentary](), Harvard Astronomy Professor [Alyssa Goodman suggested]() that she wished NASA "had shown the image this way" — and given how royally it [fumbled the bag on the Webb rollout](), it's hard to disagree. https://twitter.com/AlyssaAGoodman/status/1546675001755111424 *Updated to remove incorrect reference to the creators of "Power of Ten."* **More Webb surprises:** *[The Webb Telescope Just Quietly Released a Picture of Jupiter]()* **And more Webb drama:** [*People Are Furious at Space Telescope's Homophobic Name Again*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()