Just over six months after the James Webb Space Telescope was launched, we’ll get our first look at full-color images captured by the telescope.
The European Space Agency reported that the images and the first spectroscopic data will be released next 12 July.
“The release of Webb’s first full-color images will offer a unique moment for all of us to stop and marvel at a sight humanity has never seen before,” said Webb’s deputy program director, Eric Smith.
“ These images will be the culmination of decades of dedication, talent, and dreams, but they will also be just the beginning.”
The James Webb telescope required several months of preparation before beginning scientific work. The process included cooling down to operating temperature, calibrating instruments and aligning the mirrors.
ESA, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSci) spent more than five years figuring out what Webb should capture first to show what the observatory can do.
The NASA shared some images that the telescope captured during the preparation phase, but it is unclear exactly how the full color images will look.
“Of course, there are things we hope to see, but with a new telescope and this new high-resolution infrared data, we just won’t know until we see it,” said Joseph DePasquale, lead developer of STScI scientific images.
After the observatory captures its first proper images, it will begin the scientific observations. The astronomers will analyze the data captured by JWST’s infrared sensors and publish articles about their findings.
Also read:
· The James Webb telescope sends the first unified photo of a distant star
· Hubble Telescope discovers “Earendel”, the farthest star that humanity has seen
· The Webb telescope exceeded expectations before its commissioning in July