Officials from NASA confirmed Wednesday that the first images of its next-generation James Webb Space Telescope will be released next month. They will provide the most detailed view of the universe yet taken.
NASA and its partners, Canada’s Space Agency and European Space Agency, will reveal the first batch of full-color images taken by the Webb telescope during a highly anticipated event on July 12. This $10 billion observatory is the largest and most powerful human-made space telescope. Experts believe it will revolutionize our understanding about the cosmos.
Thomas Zurbuchen is an associate administrator at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. He said that the Webb telescope’s first images will mark an important moment in humanity’s history. It was a moment that he described as nature “giving up secrets that were there for many, many centuries, and millennia.”
It’s not an image. Zurbuchen stated Wednesday that it is a new worldview in a news briefing.
NASA will stream the live release at 10:30 AM EDT. NASA officials announced that they would release the Webb telescope’s first spectrum of exoplanets. This will show light emitted by different wavelengths from another star system. These images may provide new insight into the atmospheres of other exoplanets within the cosmos.
The inaugural release will also include photos that show how galaxies interact with each other and how they grow. It will also contain images showing the life cycle and evolution of stars, including the birth of new stars and their violent deaths.
In the days leading up to the July 12th event, the Webb telescope will continue to relay data. However, Pam Melroy, NASA Deputy Administrator, described being impressed by what she’s seen thus far.
Melroy stated that the first images were so overwhelming that she couldn’t contain herself. “What I saw just moved me as both a scientist and engineer, and as a person.”
On December 25, 2021, the Webb telescope was launched into space. This observatory, which is the size of a tennis court, can see deeper into space and provide more detail than any other telescope.
NASA spent six months setting up the observatory in orbit, and testing various scientific instruments. Officials from NASA stated that the telescope is performing well and has enough fuel to continue operating for 20 years.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in Wednesday’s briefing virtually because he was positive for Covid-19. He said that scientists are just beginning to understand the capabilities and potential uses of the Webb telescope.
