The recent images from NASA’s Webb telescope were stunning — but few people know what they are looking at.

Dr. Moiya McTier, an astrophysicist who holds a PhD from Columbia, joined News All Day on “Women Wednesday,” to explain what is happening in the universe and why it matters.

McTier spoke about some of the stunning photos, including the Stephan’s Quintet and Deep Field, which is one of the deepest and most detailed images of space. It shows thousands of galaxies in just one picture.

Astronomy is special, McTier says, because it helps us answer broad questions like, “where did we come from and where are we going?”

McTier also notes that girls and people of color are definitely interested in STEM subjects but that they get pushed out of the field due to gender-bias and even a lack of resources.

McTier has a new book called “The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy.” It’s the story of the formation of our galaxy to its eventual end when the universe dies.

“The Universe is very sassy!” McTier said.