First images of the universe and first official spectroscopic data from the Webb Space Telescope It will be released on 12 July.

Webb, the largest and most complex observatory ever launched into space, has previously undergone six months of preparation. you can start your scientific work. He had to adjust his instruments to the space environment and align his mirrors. This painstaking process has turned into the first images and data from Webb, not to mention years of new technology development and mission planning. According to NASA reports, it is now ready to begin its science mission and reveal the infrared universe.

“As we approach at the end of preparation We are on the verge of an incredibly exciting era from this scientific research observatory. The reveal of Webb’s first full-color images will present a unique moment for all of us to stop and marvel. “It will offer a view humanity has never seen before,” Webb program scientist Eric Smith said in a statement. He works at NASA headquarters in Washington. “These images will be the culmination of decades of dedication, talent, and dreams, but they’re also just the beginning ​will be.”

a hard decision

Deciding what Webb will look at first, more than five years developmental. The project was accomplished through an international partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency, and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore. Second, it hosts the Webb mission’s scientific work and operations.

“Our goals are first Webb images and data to show the powerful instruments of the telescope. “So we can get a preview of the upcoming science mission,” said astronomer Klaus Pontoppidan, Webb project scientist at STScI. “Of course, they will have a long-awaited impact on astronomers and the public.”

After each of Webb’s instruments has been calibrated and tested and given the green light by the science and engineering teams, the first images will be available. These teams will continue a list of destinations It has been shortlisted and rated by an international committee to leverage Webb’s powerful abilities. The production team will then take data from the scientists operating Webb’s tools and process it into images for astronomers and the public.

careful planning

“I feel so privileged to be a part of this,” said Alyssa Pagan, STScI Science Imaging Developer. “Typically, the process from the raw data from the telescope to the final, clean image is, to convey scientific knowledge It can take anywhere from weeks to a month in the universe,” Pagan said.

While careful planning of Webb’s first full-color images has been going on for a long time, the new telescope so strong it’s hard to predict exactly how the first images will look. “Of course there are things we expect and hope to see, but with a new telescope. “We won’t know until we see it,” said Joseph DePasquale, STScI lead science imaging developer.

Initial test and alignment images have already demonstrated the unprecedented sharpness of Webb’s infrared vision. But these new images they will be the first in full color and the first to demonstrate the full scientific capabilities of the telescope. In addition to images, it will also capture spectroscopic data: detailed information that astronomers can interpret from light.

Data

The first material image pack will be highlighted scientific subjects This will inspire the mission and be the focus of its work. These include the early universe, the evolution of galaxies over time, the life cycle of stars, and other worlds. All data from the Webb startup will also be made public.

After capturing the first images, Webb’s science observations will begin, continuing to explore the mission’s key science issues. Crews have already requested, with a competitive processIt’s time to use the telescope, which astronomers call the first “cycle” or first year of observation. Observations are carefully timed to make the most efficient use of telescope time.

These observations mark the official beginning of general science operations, which is what Webb was designed to do. Astronomers will use Webb to observe the infrared universe, analyze the data collected, and publish scientific papers about their discoveries.