James Webb 2022: an image of Jupiter like you’ve never seen it before!

JAMES WEBB. On Tuesday August 23, NASA unveiled an impressive image of the gas giant Jupiter, taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

[Mis à jour le 24 août 2022 à 13h21] Launched into space about 8 months ago, the James Webb telescope once again reveals impressive images of our Universe. This Tuesday, August 23, NASA released two breathtaking photos of the 5th planet of the solar system, Jupiter. The postcard-worthy images come from observations by a telescope tool called NiRcam, which is able to observe near infrared, a field invisible to the naked eye.

“It’s really remarkable to be able to see details of Jupiter with its rings, its small satellites and even galaxies, all in a single image”, rejoiced the astronomer Imke de Pater in a blog post by The NASA. Planetary scientist James O’Donoghue, who does “research on the auroras and the upper atmosphere of Jupiter” finds that “these are the most beautiful images of Jupiter [qu’il ait] never seen”.

On the image on the right of the James Webb telescope, what strikes the most are these fluorescent lights which represent the auroras of Jupiter, made up of particles coming from the Sun. On the image on the left, in a wider shot, we can observe its rings around it, very thin, and two moons, Amalthea and Adrastaea. Primarily known for its size, its gaseous nature, as well as its famous red spot, Jupiter is an increasingly important astronomical research target. The missions follow one another, gradually revealing the composition of the planet, its characteristics, but also those of its satellites.

The James Webb Telescope, which is 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, offers astronomers the opportunity to make great discoveries on the formation of galaxies, exoplanets, black holes or even the first moments of the birth of the Universe. The product of a collaboration between the American, European and Canadian space agencies, the James Webb Space Telescope is equipped with extremely powerful instruments that make it the most powerful space telescope ever designed. It takes over from the Hubble Space Telescope placed in orbit around the Earth in 1990 and could revolutionize the field of astronomy by providing many answers to the major questions posed by the Universe. Let’s go back to the beginnings of the mission of this telescope with disproportionate ambitions, the first shots it collected, but also its objectives and its operation.

What photos of the James Webb Telescope?

After several months of testing and calibrating the instruments of the James Webb Telescope, the long-awaited first shot of James Webb was revealed to the world on Monday July 11 at 11 p.m. by US President Joe Biden. The image is spectacular and shows galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang, more than 13 billion years ago…

What is the launch date of the James Webb Telescope?

Launched on December 25, 2021, after 30 years of study and design, the James Webb Space Telescope reached its destination a month later, on January 24, 2022: the “Lagrange point L2“, a very stable area of ​​the solar system. The precision of its takeoff aboard an Ariane 5 rocket was such a success that NASA decided to extend the duration of the mission by 5 years when the telescope had just begun its transit towards its final position. 6 months later, the deployment of the various instruments that make up the telescope went smoothly, allowing NASA to officially launch the mission ofspace exploration of this jewel of technology which is the subject of great expectations on the part of the scientific community.

Alongside NASA, mission partner agencies – the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) – participated in the design of various instruments on board the James Webb Telescope and the European Agency was also responsible for launching the telescope aboard an Ariane 5 rocket.

What is James Webb’s orbit?

After its launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket, the James Webb telescope has reached its final location. It is now in orbit around the Lagrange 2 point. It therefore revolves around this location, but also around the Sun following the movement of the Earth.

Why is James Webb at the Lagrange point?

After take-off followed by a month-long journey, the James Webb telescope placed itself in orbit around a point in the solar system known as the “Lagrange L2 point”. This point is located in the alignment of the Sun and the Earth and allows the telescope to remain fixed with respect to these two objects. This point was chosen for its stability, thanks to which the telescope will not need to expend a lot of energy to maintain its position.

This location is also a way to keep the telescope instruments cool since it is located behind the Earth in relation to the Sun. However, this position is not enough to keep all of its tools at a sufficiently low temperature. That’s why the telescope also has a huge sunshade to keep its instruments away from the heat.

What is the purpose of the James Webb Telescope?

The James Webb Telescope must fulfill various objectives during its mission, which will initially last 5 years, but which could be extended to 10 years. First, James Webb will observe the first galaxies, which appeared just after the Big Bang. He will therefore go back in time to understand the formation of these structures and their diversity. The telescope will also study exoplanets and will focus more specifically on their atmosphere, in search of biosignatures, that is to say clues to potential traces of life within the compounds of the atmospheres of the planets. Finally, he will keep an eye on an object much closer to us, the black hole Sagittarius A located at the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. It should thus collect data which will supplement those of the network of telescopes which had produced the first image of this black hole in May 2022.

A real gem of technology, the James Webb telescope is equipped with a huge mirror 6.5 meters in diameter which concentrates the light it receives. Four different instruments then capture this light ray and analyze it. These instruments are cameras and spectrometers, tools capable of detecting and analyzing infrared light, invisible to our eyes. It is thanks to this technology that the telescope will notably be able to study distant galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang.

These instruments, however, require an extremely low ambient temperature to operate without the heat of its instruments or the environment distorting the results. The James Webb Telescope was therefore equipped accordingly. A tennis court sized sun shield has been designed to protect all measuring tools.

The unprecedented size of this telescope was a real headache to accommodate it in the fairing of the Ariane 5 rocket on board which it left Earth. The mirror is therefore composed of 18 folded segments which are deployed once in space with remarkable precision.

What wavelength does the James Webb Telescope use?

The James Webb Telescope studies light in wavelengths ranging from 0.6 to 28 micrometers, that is, in the mid and near infrared. It is a part of the light that the human eye does not perceive but which makes it possible to detect very distant and cold objects like the first galaxies which formed just after the Big Bang.

How fast is James Webb?

James Webb is in orbit around Lagrange point 2, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. It evolves around this point at a speed of about 1 kilometer per second. He thus completes the tour of the Lagrange point in 6 months. At the same time, the telescope accompanies the Earth in its movement around the Sun. It therefore completes a tour of the Sun in 365 days, like our planet.

What is the interest of the James Webb telescope compared to the Hubble telescope?

Hubble is an extremely powerful space telescope which has made it possible to discover a very large number of galaxies and to obtain completely new shots of many nebulae and other celestial objects. While it was only supposed to last ten years, Hubble continues, 30 years later, to send us spectacular images and to improve our knowledge of the Universe. “One of Hubble’s most enduring achievements is bringing the wonders of the universe to the general public,” said Kenneth Sembach, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in the magazine. National Geographic.

Since the 90s, technologies have greatly evolved and the modern design of James Webb makes it an instrument with even greater ambitions than those of its predecessor. While Hubble is in orbit around the Earth, James Webb was positioned 1.5 million kilometers from our planet. Thanks to this positioning and its state-of-the-art instruments, it gains in precision and will be able to observe even older objects. He will also be able to provide details on the structures discovered by Hubble, such as the Carina Nebula photographed by Hubble and then by the James Webb telescope.

From a technical point of view, the two space telescopes are without common measure. The James Webb Telescope is equipped with the largest mirror ever sent into space. With 6.5 meters in diameter, the latter is 3 times larger than that of Hubble. Its sun visor is also of unparalleled size since it measures 22 meters by 12, or 4 times the area of ​​that of Hubble.

Who made the James Webb Telescope?

The James Webb telescope was manufactured by two American manufacturers: Northrop Grumman and Ball between 2009 and 2021. It was designed by three partner space agencies on the project: NASA (the American space agency), ESA (the European Space Agency) as well as the CSA (the Canadian Space Agency). Each agency equipped the telescope with one or more instruments of its design. This is how France developed MIRI, one of the four instruments that will detect distant galaxies.

Who funded James Webb?

The final cost of the James Webb Telescope is up to the disproportionate ambitions of its mission. Estimated at the beginning of the project at approximately 500 million dollars, the project will have finally cost 10 billion US dollars, which is equivalent to 9 billion euros. This colossal budget was partially supported by the Canadian agency and the European space agency.

Why is the telescope called James Webb?

The name of the telescope was chosen to pay tribute to a NASA administrator, James Edwin Webb. He occupied his functions between 1961 and 1968 during the Apollo program of the American agency which aimed to put a man on the Moon. His responsibility for the success of the program is widely accepted within NASA.