Part I
Most of the people ask about the superiority of the James Webb Space Telescope over others because apparently, they don’t see any charismatic change other than sharper and crispier looking version of old images. This article will try to elaborate the goals and accomplishments of James Webb Space Telescope by analyzing the first year in action (actually six months from July to December 2022). We have to expect what this multi-billion-dollar observatory is designed for. James Webb works in infrared frequency, so the cameras and instruments of Webb are more sensitive to capture and analyze the light coming from the dimmest celestial bodies formed in the early universe. First six months of its operational life Webb has already discovered the oldest galaxy (Glz13) as early as less than 400 million years after the Big Bang. The discovery of these early galaxies and stars is the part of the JADES (JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey) program, which includes 80 astronomers from around the world. In this program basically two teams are formed based on the instrument type of Webb, one is NIRCam (main camera of the Webb) based and other is based on NIRSpec data. NIRCam is used to capture the near infrared light (0.6 to 5 micron) from far away object like distant and early galaxies while the NIRSpec is a spectroscopic instrument used to analyze the light to get peculiar details like gaseous contents and compositions of those objects. NIRSpec is able to analyze spectra of hundreds of faint objects simultaneously. Data from these instruments together with MIRI data can produce results of unmatched importance.
These teams will search for early universe from the well-studied deep fields of Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS). GOODS survey is composed of two large fields of GOODS-North (in Ursa Major) and GOODS-South (in Fornax constellation in southern hemisphere). The data from JWST’s instruments then be combined with Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-Ray observatory, Spitzer, XMM-Newton, ESA’S Herschel and many Earth based radio observatories like ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array) and JVLA (Jansky Very Large Array) to uncover the unprecedented early universe. Main goals of this program are to study the oldest stars, distribution of gas in interstellar and intergalactic regions, speed of star formation, size and composition of early stars, and the first-generation black holes inside these old galaxies, for which NIRCam and NIRSpec instruments are most useful.
You might be remembering that James Webb captured the image of Carina Nebula located nearly 7600 light years away from us yielding a more detailed image than Hubble’s. Data received from space observations need years to dig jewels from it. The data from the Carina Nebula observation (by the Webb) was used by scientists to uncover hidden treasures which .
were not possible by the Hubble. This is the limiting factor for the space explorations that data processing is far slower than the rate of data generation. We are still (re)processing the data from long gone missions like WMAP, Herschel, XMM-Newton and Planck using latest technologies and wondrously getting new insights of cosmology. We still need to solve countless mysteries of the early universe like early black holes, population III stars, transition of neutral gas into ionized gas at intergalactic space that makes the space transparent after the Reionization period.
Let’s dive deep-down into the details of the Carina Nebula with latest processing and information extraction process. As you can see in the image these burning flames in this stellar nursery are actually the initial stages of the process of star birth. These baby stars express their energy through the emission of radio and infrared rays. This electromagnetic spectrum (infrared and radio) is invisible to the Hubble as it mainly works in visible spectrum. JWST’s instruments will unveil these stellar evolution stages, how our sun-like stars are born, how planets are formed, and how stars of higher mass play their role in the formation of new solar systems. Unique features of the image under discussion (Carina Nebula) are jets and fountains of the gases extending from bright baby stars. Analysis of infrared light at 4.7 micrometer wavelengths from James Webb’s NIRCam revealed dozens of jets and fountains of molecular hydrogen (see image). These fountains are actually the signs of a stage in stellar evolution where a protostar, a star in making before the Main sequence stage, accretes the nearby molecular gas of the nebula and expels some of it in the form of fountains.
Conclusively I would say that James Webb’s objectives are to explore the early universe, how galaxies and stars of that time were formed, how the opaque universe of neutral gas cleared itself into transparent ionized gas, how first black holes formed and how they played their roles in galactic evolution. If you want to get yourself updated for the Webb’s achievements do follow the JADES and PEARLS (Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science) programs. This PEARLS program covers an area of the sky equivalent to one twelfth of the full moon disk. Moreover, Webb is designed to extend the search for possible life bearing exoplanets and gather as much information as possible about the atmospheric composition of those far distant worlds. The 2nd part of this article will elaborate how the James Webb is peering into the atmospheres of other worlds orbiting around other stars.
Saqib Ali
Saqib Ali is a content writer who has been writing about space science in various forums for the past few years. He has a master’s degree in computer science
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