Announcements

12 July 2022

The international NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has delivered the deepest, sharpest infrared image of the distant Universe so far. U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled the image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, known as Webb’s First Deep Field, during a White House event on Monday 11 July. “Webb's First Deep Field is not only the first full-color image from the James Webb Space Telescope, it’s the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant Universe, so far. This image covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length. It’s just a tiny sliver of the vast universe," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “This mission was made possible by human ingenuity – the incredible NASA Webb team and our international partners at the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Webb is just the start of what we can accomplish in the …

8 July 2022

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will soon reveal unprecedented and detailed views of the universe, with the upcoming release of its first full-color images and spectroscopic data . Below is the list of cosmic objects that Webb targeted for these first observations, which will be released in NASA’s live broadcast beginning at 16:30 CEST Tuesday 12 July. Each image will simultaneously be made available on social media as well on esawebb.org. These listed targets below represent the first wave of full-color scientific images and spectra the observatory has gathered, and the official beginning of Webb’s general science operations. They were selected by an international committee of representatives from NASA, ESA, CSA, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. 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 …

20 June 2022

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will release its first full-colour images and spectroscopic data on 12 July 2022. As the largest and most complex observatory ever launched into space, Webb has been going through a six-month period of preparation before it can begin science work, calibrating its instruments to its space environment and aligning its mirrors. This top-secret and highly anticipated collection of images and spectra are intended to be shared widely around the world. To help celebrate this important release, ESA/Webb invited proposals from organisations, institutions, and groups across Europe to maximise the reach and impact of these products with special events in their communities. All of the participating organisations are listed below: Belgium Bender / Fablab Klein-Brabant and CC Binder Public Observatory Urania Czech Republic Hvězdárna a Planetárium Brno Cyprus Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation (CSEO) / IAU International Astronomy Education Centre, OAE Centre Cyprus (event website) Denmark …

1 June 2022

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will release its first full-colour images and spectroscopic data on 12 July 2022. As the largest and most complex observatory ever launched into space, Webb has been going through a six-month period of preparation before it can begin science work, calibrating its instruments to its space environment and aligning its mirrors. This careful process, not to mention years of new technology development and mission planning, has built up to the first images and data: a demonstration of Webb at its full power, ready to begin its science mission and unfold the infrared universe. Behind the Scenes: Creating Webb’s First Images Deciding what Webb should look at first has been a project more than five years in the making, undertaken by an international partnership between NASA, ESA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, home to Webb’s science and …

21 April 2022

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Early Release Observations (ERO) will be among the first spectacular images and spectra taken following the commissioning of the observatory. This release will represent Webb’s debut to the world by showcasing the observatory’s capabilities and is intended to have immediate and dramatic appeal for a broad audience. This top-secret and highly anticipated collection of images and spectra are intended to be shared widely around the world. To help celebrate this important release, ESA/Webb is inviting proposals from organisations, institutions, and groups across Europe to maximize the reach and impact of these products with special events. These products will be provided in digital format and we welcome creative and innovative ideas for how these images and spectra can be shared with the greater public across Europe. In order to submit an application, the applicant (on behalf of the associated group or institution) must agree …

1 April 2022

As the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope is going through commissioning and preparing to deliver awe-inspiring images and spectra, we invite you to follow the journey via ESA’s social media accounts. Be the first to find out about the commissioning steps, discover the first images and spectra to be released around July 2022 and, once Webb enters regular science observations, learn about its spectacular findings and what answers it brings to humanity’s outstanding questions about the Universe. We encourage you to follow the ESA social media accounts for the James Webb Space Telescope to also discover how European scientists and engineers are contributing to this mission, which is a collaboration between NASA, ESA and CSA. Pick your favourite channels from the list below. Facebook — for up to date information and images from Webb. Twitter — for insightful threads and exclusive Q&A’s with scientists and engineers involved in Webb operations …

1 March 2022

ESA/Webb is excited to launch its new video series entitled Space Sparks. These short videos will highlight and explain news and images from the James Webb Space Telescope, future missions, and general astronomical topics. The new Space Sparks series will be a continuation of the popular ESA/Hubble Hubblecast and Space Sparks series, which collectively total nearly 150 episodes. These freely available videos are an informative and educative resource for students, parents, educators, communicators, and the general public alike! We invite you to watch the first episodes of ESA/Webb Space Sparks. Episode 1 features Webb’s science goals and Episode 2 provides an overview of the European contributions to the mission. All Space Sparks videos will be offered for download in several formats. For more information on the use and sharing of ESA/Webb videos, including Space Sparks episodes, please see our copyright policy. If you have an idea for a topic that …