Space
James Webb
“Cosmic Cliffs” in the Carina Nebula captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope
a Cosmic Treasure Trove Unfolded On July 12, NASA unveiled the first batch of images from Webb’s data and the detailed view of the cosmic vistas, marking the dawn of a new era for astronomy
Photograph: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
By Ayushee Chaudhary A space observatory that took more than twenty years to come to life is working in space one million miles away from the Earth to present us with the view of our universe like never seen before. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) which has been hailed as the largest, the most powerful and the most complex telescope ever built by humans was launched on December 25, 2021. Following a series of deployment and alignment of its mirrors and instruments over months, it has finally begun to send back data to Earth. On July 12, 2022, NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration) unveiled the first batch of images from Webb’s data and the detailed view of the cosmic vistas, marking the dawn of a new era for astronomy. The images were a glimpse into the full capabilities of JWST, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). The telescope’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data were released during a televised broadcast from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
16
ISSUE 7 • 2022
These represented the first wave of full-color scientific images and spectra the observatory has gathered, and the official beginning of Webb’s general science operations. The first five targets were selected by an international committee of representatives from NASA, ESA, CSA, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. Webb is on a mission to unfold the universe, capturing scenes from the earliest days of our universe’ formation and these initial images certainly displayed that capability. Webb aims to study every phase of 13.5 billion years of cosmic history - from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe, and everything in between. Webb’s First Deep Field Image: The Sharpest View of the Universe JWST has produced the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, this image is of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723. Thousands
www.sps-aviation.com
