James Webb Telescope Photos Explained

Do the amazing images from the James Webb Telescope show what the universe would look like from that particular vantage point if you were standing where the telescope is?

—Sophie M., Washington DC

Not at all. Telescopes operate at infrared wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye. As such, the images were painstakingly colored with palettes and styles designed to represent the different frequencies captured in the moment. (You can do the same with radio waves, but the results are less appealing.) This kind of art is meant to spark the public imagination and justify the continuation of the expensive space program. successful in terms of