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The unexpected star of NASA’s Webb images — the alt text descriptions

A team in Baltimore was responsible for the words that made the stunning photos accessible to everyone

Perspective by
Metro columnist
July 20, 2022 at 5:09 p.m. EDT
This image released by NASA on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, shows the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera on the James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals previously obscured areas of star birth, according to NASA.
This image released by NASA on July 12 was captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. (AP)
5 min

In the days since NASA publicly shared stunning images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, people have oohed and aahed. They have marveled at the breathtaking beauty of those photos and the significant lessons about the universe that might exist in those crisp cosmic details.

But it’s not only the photos that have wowed people.