I previously wrote about the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. Following a successful launch and then unfolding and assembly of the telescope in space, images have been taken and transmitted back to earth. According to a NASA media advisory, the very first images from the James Webb Space Telescope will be released to the public on Tuesday, July 12, 2022.
The list of cosmic targets for the first images include:
- Carina Nebula
- WASP-96 b (spectrum)
- Southern Ring Nebula
- Stephan’s Quintet
- SMACS 0723
The James Webb Space Telescope will acquire images using near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths which will allow us to better understand the origins of our universe. According to this article, “The Hubble Space Telescope is optimized for visible light but can also detect some ultraviolet (shorter wavelengths than visible) and some infrared. Webb, however, was developed as an infrared specialist and can take on a much larger span of infrared wavelengths.”
The significance of Webb’s ability to detect infrared wavelengths is that due to the expansion of the universe, light from distant objects that are moving away from earth are stretched into longer (more red) wavelengths, an effect known as redshift. It is expected that the capture of infrared light will allow us to view our cosmic history dating back 13.5 billion years to the time that galaxies were formed.
For a listing of all the ways you can view the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, check out this blog from NASA.
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