JWST graphic (IMAGE) University of Missouri-Columbia Caption A pair of color composite images from the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723-27 and its surrounding area taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope through its Early Release Observations (ERO). A team of astronomers led by Haojing Yan at the University of Missouri used the data from these images to identify the objects of interest for their study. These include galaxies that could be the earliest known galaxies in the universe — about 200-400 million years after the Big Bang. The location of each object of interest is indicated by one of three different colored circles — blue, green or red — on the color images. These colors correspond with the range of redshifts where they were found — high (blue), very high (green), or extremely high (red). Graphic by Haojing Yan and Bangzheng Sun. Photos courtesy of NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency and the Space Telescope Science Institute. Credit University of Missouri Usage Restrictions For media use. License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.