Astronomers have begun getting pictures from the enormous telescope launched about six months ago, depicting the furthest reaches of the cosmos. While NASA won't release some of these photographs to the public nex month, officials have given a glimpse of what to expect.
A woman stands near a model of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland on April 2, 2015.
NASA James Webb Space Telescope to Show Earliest Objects Ever Seen
The $10 billion deep space observatory, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson pointed out, will initially return "the deepest image of our universe that has ever been taken."
On July 12, the first batch of full-color photographs transmitted by the Webb telescope would be unveiled by NASA and its collaborators, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, in a highly anticipated ceremony.
The largest and most potent space telescope, the deep space observatory, has the potential to completely change how we understand the universe.
Nelson said, "The image will show the earliest objects ever seen," without elaborating on the nature of the prehistoric objects that Webb would focus its enormous lenses on or their age.
According to a Space.com report, Nelson mentioned that the image will be "farther than humanity has ever looked before, and we're only beginning to understand what Webb can and will do."
ALSO READ: Micrometeoroid Horrifyingly Hits $10 Billion Giant James Webb Space Telescope, NASA Says
The Hubble Space Telescope's deep picture fields, which would have shown galaxies in our universe that originated just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, which occurred around 13.7 billion years ago, are projected to be replaced by this image.
NASA anticipates Webb to discuss the scope of the observatory's initial science investigations, which will include a variety of targets like solar system objects, exoplanets, the early cosmos, and more.
Thomas Zurbuchen, assistant administrator for NASA's scientific mission directorate during the same event, says the anticipated photos on July 12 include the first spectrum of an exoplanet. A planet's spectra, which measure the quantity of light emitted at different wavelengths, often reveal information on the chemistry of the planet and its formation process.
It is important to keep in mind that Webb is designed to survey big gas giant planets and probably won't be able to gather as much information from planets with rocky terrain that may support life as we know it, as suggested by previous NASA recommendations. The atmospheres and chemical composition of other exoplanets in the universe may be better understood in light of these observations.
How to See Images on Release Date
The first high-quality scientific photographs from the deep space observatory will be shown by the American space agency on July 12 at 10:30 a.m. EDT. The photos will be streamed live on NASA's website and social media platforms.
In preparation for its launch into orbit on December 25, 2021, Webb is finishing inspections on its four scientific instruments.
The Webb telescope is still returning data in advance of the July 12 event. According to NBC News, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy expressed her admiration for what she has observed thus far.
RELATED ARTICLE: NASA James Webb Space Telescope Shares Sharpest Perspective of Invisible Light as it Nears Commissioning
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
