NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Northrup Grumman
These first images from the James Webb Space Telescope will mark the beginning of Webb’s scientific operations, in which excited astronomers will have the opportunity to use Webb to explore the early universe, exoplanet atmospheres, birth, and death. of stars and the evolution of galaxies like never before. before.
Artistic conception of the James Webb space telescope. Credit: NASA-GSFC, Adriana M. Gutierrez (CI Lab)
Soon the first images from NASA’s Webb space telescope
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), will release its first full-color images and spectroscopic data on July 12, 2022. largest and most complex observatory ever launched. in space, Webb has gone through a six-month preparation period before he can begin scientific work, calibrating his instruments to their space environment and aligning their mirrors. This careful process, not to mention years of development of new technologies and mission planning, has accumulated to the first images and data: a demonstration of Webb with all its power, ready to begin its scientific mission and deploy the infrared universe.
“As we approach the end of the observatory’s preparation for science, we are on the precipice of an incredibly exciting period of discovery about our universe. The launch of Webb’s first full-color images will provide a moment only because we all stop and marvel at a sight that humanity has never seen before, “said Eric Smith, a Webb program scientist at NASA’s Washington headquarters. “These images will be the culmination of decades of dedication, talent and dreams, but they will also be just the beginning.”
Behind the scenes: creating the first Webb images
Deciding what Webb should look at has been an ongoing project for more than five years, carried out by an international partnership between NASA, ESA, CSA and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, home of the Webb science and mission operations. .
“Our goals for Webb’s first images and data are to show the telescope’s powerful instruments and predict the upcoming scientific mission,” said astronomer Klaus Pontoppidan, a Webb project scientist at STScI. “They’re sure to deliver a much-anticipated ‘wow’ for astronomers and the public.”
Once each of Webb’s instruments has been calibrated, tested, and given the green light by his science and engineering teams, the first spectroscopic images and observations will be made. The team will proceed through a list of goals that have been pre-selected and prioritized by an international committee to exercise Webb’s powerful capabilities. The production team will then receive the data from Webb’s instrument scientists and process it into images for astronomers and the public.
“I feel very privileged to be a part of it,” said Alyssa Pagan, developer of science visuals at STScI. “Normally, the process from the raw data of the telescope to the final, clean image that communicates scientific information about the universe can take from weeks to a month,” Pagan said.
What will we see?
Although careful planning of Webb’s first full-color images has been going on for a long time, the new telescope is so powerful that it’s hard to predict exactly how the first images will look. “Of course, there are things we look forward to and look forward to, but with a new telescope and this new high-resolution infrared data, we won’t know until we see it,” said Joseph DePasquale, developer of scientific visuals for STScI.
Early alignment images have already demonstrated the unprecedented sharpness of Webb’s infrared vision. However, these new images will be the first in full color and the first to show Webb’s full scientific capabilities. In addition to the images, Webb will capture spectroscopic data – detailed information that astronomers can read in the light. The first package of images of materials will highlight the scientific topics that inspired the mission and will be the focus of his work: the early universe, the evolution of galaxies through time, the life cycle of stars and others. mons. All Webb start-up data, data taken while the telescope was aligned and instruments were being prepared, will also be made available to the public.
What’s next?
Science! After capturing their first images, they will begin Webb’s scientific observations, continuing to explore the mission’s key scientific topics. Teams have already requested through a competitive process the time to use the telescope, in what astronomers call their first “cycle” or first year of observations. Observations are carefully programmed to make more efficient use of telescope time.
These observations mark the official start of Webb’s general scientific operations, the work for which he was designed. Astronomers will use Webb to observe the infrared universe, analyze the data collected, and publish scientific articles about their discoveries.
Beyond what is already planned for Webb, there are unexpected discoveries that astronomers cannot predict. An example: In 1990, when the Hubble Space Telescope was launched, dark energy was completely unknown. It is now one of the most exciting areas of astrophysics. What will Webb find out?
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s largest space science observatory. Webb will solve mysteries of our solar system, look beyond distant worlds around other stars, and investigate the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.