We have known for some time that, barring unforeseen events, we will be able to see the first images captured by James Webb (except, of course, the test ones that we have already seen) next Tuesday July 12th. This is a long-awaited date, which in fact will only be the beginning of a huge collection of images that, like those from Hubble for a long time, will leave us speechless and with a new perception of the universe. .

yesterday by surprise NASA has already shown us a preview, although it came from the navigation device footage that was added to the control images shared by the space agency a few months ago. All parties involved have undoubtedly managed to generate a lot of interest and huge anticipation to the point that many people have the countdown to next Tuesday firmly under control.

Until now, we didn’t know what these images would show us, but the agency decided to end this uncertainty by publishing on its website what the first James Webb images we’ll see will show us. And the selection is as interesting as it is varied:

• Carina Nebula: The Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located about 7,600 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. Nebulae are stellar nurseries where stars are formed. The Carina Nebula hosts many massive stars several times larger than the Sun.
• WASP-96b (spectrum): WASP-96 b is a giant planet outside our solar system, composed mostly of gas. Located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth, the planet orbits its star every 3.4 days. It is about half the size of Jupiter and its discovery was announced in 2014.
• The Southern Ring Nebula: The Southern Ring Nebula or the Eighth Nebula is a planetary nebula, an expanding cloud of gas surrounding a dying star. It is nearly half a light-year in diameter and is located about 2,000 light-years from Earth.
• Stephan’s Quintet: Stephan’s Quintet is located about 290 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus. It is notable for being the first compact galaxy group discovered in 1877. Four of the five galaxies in the quintet are caught in the cosmic dance of repeated close encounters.
• SMACS 0723: Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, allowing deep-field views of both extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations.

Looking at this selection it looks like James Webb is fully active and at full capacity as the necessary modifications for its operation have been completed.