The James Webb Space Telescope is in the 'home stretch' of commissioning, and scientists plan to release breathtaking images that showcase its new capabilities in mid-July.
"We’ve basically reached a perfect telescope alignment," McElwain said."There are no adjustments in the telescope optics that would make material improvements to our science performance."
The Webb team will spend the next two months preparing the observatory to tackle work that has long been envisioned by scientists. A new image released Monday gives a sneak peek at how Webb will compare to past space telescopes. This image shows part of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The image on the left was taken by NASA's retired Spitzer Space Telescope. The image on the right was taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.The above image shows part of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The image on the left was taken by NASA's retired Spitzer Space Telescope. The image on the right was taken by Webb.
NASA has released these test images to demonstrate the telescope's various phases of commissioning. But the first images of true scientific importance, called the early release observations, will be made available to the public in mid-July. These early release observations will highlight Webb's major goals, which include observing the early universe, examining galaxies over time, studying the life cycle of stars and learning about other worlds.
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