NASA releases test photos of James Webb Space Telescope, approaching the origin of the universe



After being launched into space in December 2021, the

James Webb Space Telescope developed by NASA has been adjusting the primary mirror while sending multiple test images to the earth. The first captured image of the James Webb Space Telescope after full-scale operation is scheduled to be released on July 12, 2022 (Tuesday), Japan time, but a preview image was released prior to the official release.

Webb's Fine Guidance Sensor Provides a Preview – James Webb Space Telescope
https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/07/06/webbs-fine-guidance-sensor-provides-a-preview/

After the James Webb Space Telescope was launched into space in December 2021, the primary mirror was being adjusted in nanometer increments. In May 2022, the adjustment of the primary mirror was completed, and a test shot image with overwhelmingly high definition compared to the previous generation space telescope was released. You can check the test image when the primary mirror adjustment is completed at the link below.

The state-of-the-art James Webb Space Telescope has been adjusted, and the comparison with the previous generation is a masterpiece --GIGAZINE



Even after the adjustment of the primary mirror was completed, the equipment configuration was advanced toward full-scale operation of the equipment in the summer of 2022. In late May 2022, there was an accident in which a meteorite larger than the expected size collided , but it did not lead to a major problem and on July 12, 2022 (Tuesday), Japan time. It has been decided that the first color image will be released after full-scale operation.

The James Webb Space Telescope is equipped with multiple sensors for capturing celestial bodies. NASA will release the image taken during the test of the sensor ' Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) ' which has the function of 'locating and tracking the target celestial body' among multiple sensors on July 12th. I released it in advance.

Below is an image taken with 72 exposures over 32 hours using FGS. According to NASA, images taken with FGS are not used for scientific analysis and are usually discarded. Still, NASA describes the test image as 'the deepest image of the universe ever taken,' highlighting the high performance of the James Webb Space Telescope. You can check the high-resolution images released by NASA by clicking the images below.



During full-scale operation of the James Webb Space Telescope, the primary mirror is readjusted and the exposure is adjusted after each exposure. However, various adjustments were not made when the image released this time was taken. For this reason, in the above image, the center of the bright star becomes black and the pixels overlap each other. During full-scale operation, shooting will be performed using a sensor for scientific analysis with various adjustments made. For this reason, it is expected that clearer images will be taken than the test images during full-scale operation.

The first shooting targets of the James Webb Space Telescope are ' Carina Nebula ', ' WASP-96 b ', ' Southern Ring Nebula ', ' Stephan's Quintet Galaxy ', and 'SMACS 0723'. A full-color image will be released by President Joe Biden at 7:00 on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, Japan time. In addition, other color images will be released from 0:30 on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 Japan time.



The color image release on July 12th and 13th will be broadcast live in the following embedded movie.

NASA Live: Official Stream of NASA TV-YouTube


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