James Webb Space Telescope (Technical Post ONLY !)

With commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope nearly complete, project officials and NASA leadership promise the telescope’s first images will stun scientists and the public alike.

During a media event at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) here June 29, project managers and scientists said the telescope is already collecting “early release observations” that NASA, along with the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency, will unveil July 12. Those observations are taking place as engineers finish preparing the telescope for routine science observations, with 15 of its 17 observing modes now commissioned.

JWST’s technical performance continues to exceed expectations. Lee Feinberg, JWST optical telescope element manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, that the telescope had a requirement that its resolution be diffraction limited — that is, its sharpness limited only by the laws of physics — at wavelengths as short as 2 microns. He said the telescope was in fact diffraction limited down to 1.1 microns.
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While the list remains secret, NASA officials dropped hints about what will be released on July 12. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, participating in the event by phone after testing positive for COVID-19 the night before, said one will be “the deepest image of our universe that has ever been taken,” better than various “deep field” observations by the Hubble Space Telescope.

“This is farther than humanity has ever looked before,” Nelson said. “We’re only beginning to understand what Webb can and will do.” Pontoppidan confirmed that scientists will release the deepest infrared image yet of the universe, but did not quantify how it compared to past deep field images.

Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science, said the early release observations will also include spectra of an exoplanet, which can help scientists determine the composition of its atmosphere. “We’re looking forward to seeing the atmosphere of that specific planet and many more,” he said.

Both Melroy and Zurbuchen said they have already seen some of those images that will be released at the July 12 event. “What I have seen just moved me,” said Melroy, “as a scientist, as an engineer and as a human being.”
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spacenews.com

NASA prepares to release first JWST science images

With commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope nearly complete, project officials and NASA leadership promise the telescope’s first images will stun scientists and the public alike.
spacenews.com spacenews.com
 
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Flyaway said:
With commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope nearly complete, project officials and NASA leadership promise the telescope’s first images will stun scientists and the public alike.

During a media event at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) here June 29, project managers and scientists said the telescope is already collecting “early release observations” that NASA, along with the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency, will unveil July 12. Those observations are taking place as engineers finish preparing the telescope for routine science observations, with 15 of its 17 observing modes now commissioned.

JWST’s technical performance continues to exceed expectations. Lee Feinberg, JWST optical telescope element manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, that the telescope had a requirement that its resolution be diffraction limited — that is, its sharpness limited only by the laws of physics — at wavelengths as short as 2 microns. He said the telescope was in fact diffraction limited down to 1.1 microns.
Click to expand...
While the list remains secret, NASA officials dropped hints about what will be released on July 12. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, participating in the event by phone after testing positive for COVID-19 the night before, said one will be “the deepest image of our universe that has ever been taken,” better than various “deep field” observations by the Hubble Space Telescope.

“This is farther than humanity has ever looked before,” Nelson said. “We’re only beginning to understand what Webb can and will do.” Pontoppidan confirmed that scientists will release the deepest infrared image yet of the universe, but did not quantify how it compared to past deep field images.

Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science, said the early release observations will also include spectra of an exoplanet, which can help scientists determine the composition of its atmosphere. “We’re looking forward to seeing the atmosphere of that specific planet and many more,” he said.

Both Melroy and Zurbuchen said they have already seen some of those images that will be released at the July 12 event. “What I have seen just moved me,” said Melroy, “as a scientist, as an engineer and as a human being.”
Click to expand...
spacenews.com

NASA prepares to release first JWST science images

With commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope nearly complete, project officials and NASA leadership promise the telescope’s first images will stun scientists and the public alike.
spacenews.com spacenews.com
Click to expand...

I am going to be putting July 12 into my diary. NASA cannot go wrong with the release of the images after the collision with the micrometeorite on the mirror.
 
Teams preparing the James Webb Space Telescope for the commencement of its science operations have concluded the fine-tuning of the second of its four cutting-edge instruments ahead of the reveal of the telescope's first science-grade images less than two weeks from now.
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www.space.com

James Webb Space Telescope's supercold camera is now ready for science

The camera images the universe in mid-infrared wavelengths and analyzes chemical compositions.
www.space.com www.space.com
 
FighterJock said:
Hobbes said:
NMaude said:
Which instruments have completed calibration?
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Regular updates here:

https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html

They've already started science observations, both for the First Look images showing instrument capabilities, and Director’s Discretionary Early Release Science Programs. The first data release on July 12 is going to be massive.
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Just how massive will be interesting to see.
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About 140,000 images, plus whatever they add over the next 9 days. It also includes all of the calibration images.
 
Hobbes said:
FighterJock said:
Hobbes said:
NMaude said:
Which instruments have completed calibration?
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Regular updates here:

https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html

They've already started science observations, both for the First Look images showing instrument capabilities, and Director’s Discretionary Early Release Science Programs. The first data release on July 12 is going to be massive.
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Just how massive will be interesting to see.
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About 140,000 images, plus whatever they add over the next 9 days. It also includes all of the calibration images.
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That is way more than I was expecting Hobbes, 140,000 images on the first reveal that is more than we got when NASA revealed the first image from Hubble back in 1990.
 
Keep in mind as it says this image is from a sensor not designed for science observations and the images from it are not normally kept.

Webb’s Fine Guidance Sensor Provides a Preview – James Webb Space Telescope

blogs.nasa.gov blogs.nasa.gov


fgs2_1445_20220601_TS_newflat_JRstretch_crop-2048x1954.jpg
 
Flyaway said:
Keep in mind as it says this image is from a sensor not designed for science observations and the images from it are not normally kept.
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That may change as the HST's fine guidance sensors eventually ended up being used for certain scientific observations.
 
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NMaude said:
Flyaway said:
Keep in mind as it says this image is from a sensor not designed for science observations and the images from it are not normally kept.
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That may changes the HST's fine guidance sensors eventually ended up being used for certain scientific observations.
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They mention in the article that could happen here with JWST.
 
A list of what we can expect Tuesday from JWST:

Carina Nebula. The Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located approximately 7,600 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. Nebulae are stellar nurseries where stars form. The Carina Nebula is home to many massive stars, several times larger than the Sun.
WASP-96 b (spectrum). WASP-96 b is a giant planet outside our solar system, composed mainly of gas. The planet, located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth, orbits its star every 3.4 days. It has about half the mass of Jupiter, and its discovery was announced in 2014.
Southern Ring Nebula. The Southern Ring, or “Eight-Burst” 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 approximately 2,000 light years away from Earth.
Stephan’s Quintet: About 290 million light-years away, Stephan’s Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus. It is notable for being the first compact galaxy group ever discovered in 1877. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet are locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters.
SMACS 0723: Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, permitting a deep field view into both the extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations.
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www.nasa.gov

NASA Shares List of Cosmic Targets for Webb Telescope’s 1st Images

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will soon reveal unprecedented and detailed views of the universe, with the release of its first full-color images and spectroscopic data. The targets, selected by an international committee, will be released July 12: Carina Nebula, WASP-96 b (spectrum)...
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov
 
And what to expect from the first five months.

To realize the James Webb Space Telescope’s full science potential, it is imperative that the science community quickly learns to use its instruments and capabilities. To get the community up to speed, STScI and the JWST Advisory Committee developed the Director’s Discretionary-Early Release Science (DD-ERS) program.

The DD-ERS observations will take place during the first 5 months of JWST science operations, following the 6-month commissioning period. The program selections were made in November 2017 and represent six science categories.

To view details about a specific program, select a science category below, then click the Program ID. For a description of the program and its expected impact on the community, click the Program Title instead.
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www.stsci.edu

DD-ERS

Review approved JWST Early Release Science (ERS) programs.
www.stsci.edu www.stsci.edu
 
One JWST image is to be released a day early. As it’s being done by the president himself perhaps it’s an alien in their spaceship waving at us.

www.universetoday.com

Good News! One JWST Picture Early!

President Joseph R. Biden and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will reveal one JWST image a day early; tune in Monday afternoon!
www.universetoday.com www.universetoday.com
 
Flyaway said:
One JWST image is to be released a day early. As it’s being done by the president himself perhaps it’s an alien in their spaceship waving at us.

www.universetoday.com

Good News! One JWST Picture Early!

President Joseph R. Biden and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will reveal one JWST image a day early; tune in Monday afternoon!
www.universetoday.com www.universetoday.com
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Well we will just have to wait and see what this first image will be Flyaway. I will watch it on NASA TV.
 
Just a quick reminder that the NASA TV coverage begins at 5PM EDT in the US and 10PM British Summer Time in the UK.
 
Deino said:
FighterJock said:
Just a quick reminder that the NASA TV coverage begins at 5PM EDT in the US and 10PM British Summer Time in the UK.
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Where? :p
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www.nasa.gov

| NASA

NASA Television provides live coverage of launches, spacewalks and other mission events, as well as the latest news briefings, video files, and the This Week @NASA report.
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov
 
WOW :oops:

First Images from the James Webb Space Telescope​


On Monday, July 11, President Joe Biden released one of the James Webb Space Telescope’s first images in a preview event at the White House in Washington. NASA, in partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency), will release the full set of Webb’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data during a televised broadcast beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT (14:30 UTC) on Tuesday, July 12, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Learn more about how to watch.
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This first image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail. Thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared – have appeared in Webb’s view for the first time. This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground.

main_image_deep_field_smacs0723-1280.jpg

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

Released one by one, the first images from the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope will demonstrate Webb at its full power, ready to begin its mission to unfold the infrared universe. The first images will be added to this page as they are released.
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www.nasa.gov

First Images from the James Webb Space Telescope

The first images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope, will demonstrate Webb at its full power, ready to begin its mission to unfold the infrared universe. The first images will be added to this page as they are released.
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov
 
Could somebody explain what causes those star-shaped flares? I get that they're stars between the camera and the distant galaxies but why do they cause the artifacts?
 
sferrin said:
Could somebody explain what causes those star-shaped flares?
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I don't know the full details however those are optical artefacts due to the JWST's primary mirror being made up of 18 hexagonal segments.
 
TMA1 said:
to think that this is only a very, very small sector of space that the telescope is viewing. each blob with hundreds of billions of stars, and billions of blobs. incredible.
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Apparently it’s equivalent to a grain of sand held at arms length.
 
mkellytx said:
sferrin said:
Could somebody explain what causes those star-shaped flares? I get that they're stars between the camera and the distant galaxies but why do they cause the artifacts?
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It was in one of the earlier stories that it's the hexagonal mirrors that cause the 6 flares. Almost what @NMaude said.
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Caused largely by the struts that hold the secondary...

Good explainer:
www.quora.com

What will the diffraction spikes on stars imaged by the James Webb Space Telescope look like?

Answer (1 of 4): What will the diffraction spikes on stars imaged by the James Webb Space Telescope look like? Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI First JWT image. ANSWER UPDATE 202207120100 for a full set of the first JWT images the link is below. https://webbtelescope.org/news/first-im...
www.quora.com www.quora.com

This one's good as well:
bigthink.com

Where do James Webb's unique "spikes" come from?

When we started imaging the Universe with Hubble, every star had four "spikes" coming from it. Here's why Webb will have more.
bigthink.com bigthink.com
 
Well at the cost and delay it bloody well be good!
Still don't know just EXACTLY what the JWST is actually for mind, academic hubris apart; would we not be better focusing our efforts on things much closer to home?
 

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