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Webb’s First

Four

Last week on 12th July 2022, the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) team released the first four images
taken by the JWST. In this article we are going to know what's in these images and learn about it but before that
we must know about the different infrared regions. So, basically there are three regions:
1) Near-Infrared or IR-A (700 to 1,400 nm)
2) Mid-Infrared or IR-B (1,400 to 3,000 nm)

3) Far-Infrared or IR-C (3,000 nm to 0.1 mm) The JWST operates in the 600 nm - 28,500 nm range.
The Webb's first four images are actually seven images because three of the first targets were imaged with two
different devices. The Near-Infrared camera NIRCam which images wavelengths a bit longer than what we can
see with our eyes. The Mid-Infrared instrument or MIRI which dives deeper into even longer wavelengths. In the
mid-infrared, light can pass through clouds of gas and dust, allowing us to see lots of stuff that was previously
hidden.
Southern Ring Nebula:

A Nebula 2000 light years away from earth and is located in
the Milky Way Galaxy. It is a Planetary nebula (has nothing
to do with planets). The different shells of gas you see (a mix
of red and orange around the white and blueish orb (in the
NIRCam)) were thrown off of the red giant. In the MIRI
image, there are two stars at the center of this system the
dimmer one is a white dwarf now but it was once the red
giant that threw off all the gas and dust as it approached the
end of it's life. The brighter star is at an earlier stage in it's
life cycle.
“Cosmic cliffs” in Carina Nebula

This image is a small portion of the carina nebula 7,500 light
years away from earth. It's a different kind of nebula, a giant
cloud of gas and dust that is actively gathering together into
new stars. It's one of the most active star-forming regions of
our galaxy. This image is around 16 light years wide.
Astronomers call it "The Cosmic Cliffs". Now moving on
from the NIRCam image to a smaller image which is a
composite of MIRI and NIRCam, gives us an example on
how moving to the mid-infrared allows us to see through
clouds of dust to what lies beneath.

Study of Moon - Selenology
Study of Planets - Astronomy
Study of Universe - Cosmology
Study of the Ocean - Oceanography

Study of Earth's Atmosphere - Meteorology
Study of Shape and features of Earth Surface - Geology
Study of the Structure and dynamics of Sun - Helioseismology
Study of the atmosphere and weather patterns over time - Climatology

Space Explorer 2022 7