Cosmic Timeline

Comparing the Hubble and Webb Telescopes

Big Bang

Cosmic microwave background

Dark Ages

First stars

First galaxies

Modern universe
(13.7 billion years old)

Hubble Space Telescope

James Webb Space Telescope

The Hubble can see as far as the first galaxies and the Webb can see as far as the first stars. Capital News Service graphic by Caitlin Hennegan. Source: NASA.