How the James Webb telescope’s glances back in time are reshaping cosmology

Galaxies might have formed earlier and faster than previously thought

Regions of sky, shown as rectangles, observed by JWST, against a black backdrop

JWST observed this region of the sky (in the boxes) that includes and extends a region observed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Scientists used the new space telescope to take multi-wavelength measurements of some of the most distant galaxies ever seen, confirming their extreme remoteness.

NASA, ESA, CSA, M. Zamani/Webb/ESA

BALTIMORE — The James Webb Space Telescope is living up to its promise as a wayback machine.