Bill Nelson, NASA’s administrator, shared that it will release its first high-resolution color images on July 12 which will showcase the universe in a way that has never been seen before. The space observatory was launched in December and is said to give us the opportunity to gaze into the atmosphere of exoplanets and look at some of the first galaxies created in the universe. The process is said to be possible through infrared light, which is not visible to the naked human eye.
The selected cosmic objects that shall be showcased on July 12 are the Carina Nebula, WASP-96 b (spectrum), Southern Ring Nebula, Stephan’s Quintet, SMACS 0723. The above targets were selected by an international committee that consisted of members from NASA, , the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
The first target The Carina Nebula is a location where stars are born. It is home to several stars which are bigger than our sun.
The discovery will also help us get new information about the exoplanet named WASP-96b. The exoplanet is located 1,150 light years away from Earth. We are yet to discover whether it has an atmosphere that could be known by the Webb telescope’s handle. The giant gas planet completes an orbit around its star every 3.4 days. It was known to us in the year 2014.
Another target is the Southern Ring Nebula, which is located 2,000 light-years away from Earth. The fourth target, Stephan`s Quintet, which is a galaxy group, shall tell us about how galaxies interact with each other. Discovered 300 years ago, it is situated 290 million years away in the constellation Pegasus.
Lastly, there is SMACS 0723, which has a great group of galaxy clusters that work as a magnifying glass for the objects behind them. This shall be the deepest humans have looked into the universe.
The telescope, which was made to see the first galaxies and stars of the universe, will give a new set of eyes to the Universe, says Eric Smith. He excitedly says that ” The world is about to be new again. “
Also Read : Artemis Rocket Test Launch Aborted For Fourth Time; NASA Explains
