New images from the James Webb Space Telescope show that the huge deep space observatory is not only capable of seeing cosmic objects far away from home.
NASA on Thursday released the first images of Webb taken in the solar system, including Jupiter and compressed asteroids.
Engineers took these photos during previous tests of the observatory’s instruments. The images show that Webb can see unprecedented details, even in very bright and moving things close to Earth, while picking up weaker objects. This success is due to the telescope’s guide sensors, which allow Webb to pinpoint, maintain, and track accurately.
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NASA officials considered including the targets near the first batch of impressive deep space images, but decided to take a more conservative approach, said Klaus Pontoppidan, an astronomer at the Baltimore Space Telescope Science Institute. , during a press conference on Tuesday.
“We didn’t want to have to rely on the operation of moving target observations, keeping things not too complicated,” he said. “As it turns out, we probably could have done it.”
The additional images came just two days after NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency presented Webb’s first full-color scientific images. The event kicked off the start of scientific operations on the $ 10 billion telescope. Astronomers predict that Webb will usher in a golden age in our understanding of the universe.
While Jupiter’s images look more like the sepia-toned photos of the wild west than the bright jewels seen on Tuesday, it’s only because they weren’t processed the same way, according to NASA. Instead, they were produced to emphasize specific features.
How, Oh, hello, Europe! Nice to see you there.
The James Webb Space Telescope photographs Jupiter and its moons Europe, Thebes and Metis. Credits: NASA / ESA / CSA / B. Holler and J. Stansberry (STScI)
The James Webb Space Telescope spies the shadow of Europe next to the Great Red Spot. Credits: NASA / ESA / CSA / B. Holler and J. Stansberry (STScI)
A close-up view of the telescope’s near-infrared camera shows clear bands around the gas giant planet, as well as the Great Red Spot, a lasting storm big enough to “swallow the Earth,” according to NASA. To the left of the site is the shadow of Europe, one of Jupiter’s orbiting moons.
Other moons in these images include Thebes and Metis. All of these details were captured with exposures of about a minute, the U.S. space agency said.
Scientists are relieved that Webb has passed the vision exam. This means he will take pictures of moons and rings not only of Jupiter, but also of Saturn and Mars. Astronomers also hope to investigate the plumes of steam coming out of Europe and Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, places that could harbor oceans.
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But the team also wanted to know how fast an object could move and still be observed by the telescope, which is critical for astronomers who want to study flying space rocks. To test Webb’s limits, engineers attempted to track an asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, 6481 Tenzing. They were not disappointed.
“We had a speed limit of 30 [milliarcseconds per second], which is as fast as it can get to Mars, “said Jane Rigby, a project scientist at NASA.” We actually broke it. We’ve managed to reach a speed limit of 67, so we can pursue goals faster than we promised. “