July 12 will see the universe like never before

On July 12, the world will have a new perspective on the universe, when the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST by the James Webb Space Telescope) will publish its first color images as well as spectroscopic data.

One of the photos that will be released is the deepest image of our universe ever taken, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters on Wednesday.

"It will be the farthest mankind has ever seen," said Bill Nelson, calling the telescope "nothing less than a real scientific achievement."

JWST was launched in December from the European Space Port in Kourou, French Guiana, as part of an international program between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. The telescope is currently a million miles from Earth, and was launched to study the evolution of our solar system.

The photos that will be released were selected for their striking colors, NASA said on Wednesday, as well as to demonstrate the breadth of science supported by JWST.

"We're just beginning to understand what Webb can and will do," Nelson said.

"It will explore objects in the solar system and exoplanet atmospheres orbiting other stars - giving us clues as to whether their atmosphere is similar to ours. It can answer some of the questions we have. Where do we come from? What else is out there? Who we are;"

Each image to be published next month will reveal different aspects of the infrared universe with unprecedented detail, scientists said Wednesday during a press conference.

The images that will be released on July 12 will also include the first spectrum of an exoplanet. NASA has confirmed the existence of more than 5.000 planets beyond our solar system, and looking at the vibration spectrum of one could help us understand what molecules are in its atmosphere - and whether the exoplanet could possibly support life.

"We know, of course, that atmospheres reflect the structure of the exoplanet," said Thomas Zurbuchen, deputy managing director of NASA's Mission.

"We know that the atmosphere on Earth really changed when bacterial life appeared. Much of the atmosphere is made up of it - CO2, for example, is an important component… We look forward to seeing the atmosphere of this particular planet, but also much more because we learn about planets in a way we have never seen before.

While the images that the JWST team will release on July 12 will be impressive, it is just the beginning of everything that Webb can reveal. The Webb mission was supposed to last 10 years, but NASA Deputy Managing Director Pam Melroy said Wednesday that there was a surplus of fuel to last 20 years.