Nasa released images from the James Webb Space Telescope which took hours of processing work for the five full-color.
Why it matters the most:
The JWST’s photos — which capture light at wavelengths that the human eye cannot see — will transform the way scientists and the public understand the history of our universe.
Where does it stand:
The James Webb Space Telescope looks at the universe in infrared lighting allows it to cut through the dust and see the intimate details in star formation, as well as the faint light from some of the first galaxies to have formed over 13 billion years ago. Joe DePasquale tells Axios that biologically we don’t have the ability to see these objects the same way Hubble and Webb do. He is an image processor who works alongside JWST.
The working procedure of James Webb Space Telescope
DePasquale explains that photos taken by the JWST’s large mirror look almost black when they are beam back to Earth. He also says that there are basically 65,000 shades of gray in each pixel of the image and pointed out that the universe is very dim. So, the problem arises is that majority of the parts of James Webb Space Telescope is in the deeper regions of the space.
The imaging team must then brighten the darkest areas of the image in order to reveal the details within them. This is done without over-saturating brightest parts of an image, which could be cores of galaxies and bright stars.
Sensitive Telescope
The JWST’s infrared-light sensitivities are so high that it can distinguish between different wavelengths of light just like our eyes can discern the various wavelengths of optical light. These wavelengths are what we perceive as colors.
This sensitivity allows the imaging team to distinguish between long and shortwave lengths of infrared light. They can then filter the image through different colors in scientifically sound ways.
Red is perceived by the human eye as having longer wavelengths. Therefore, that color is used to represent longer wavelengths infrared light. The shorter wavelengths are used by blue, while the others colors of the rainbow fall in between.
Klaus Pontoppidan said that this could be what you see if your infrared eyes were sensitive enough to this light. He was speaking at a press conference.
Shapley explained that infrared cameras were used by the JWST to collect a variety of “brightness” images in grayscale. This allowed the images to circulate. Six filters captured different wavelengths from infrared sunlight. Each filter was assigned a specific color back on Earth. The filter with the longest wavelength captured was red, and the one with the shortest wavelength captured blue. There were other colors in the middle. Combining these images creates a composite image that includes all colors in the photos currently being circulated.
The Webb was originally designed to transmit radio waves in the Ka band, within the 25.9 gigahertz frequency range. This is well beyond the ranges used by other satellite communications.
The main radio antenna can transmit 28 megabits per minute, which is comparable in speed to home broadband speeds. It takes about five seconds for the signal to travel through a million miles before it reaches your laptop.
This is not just a steady stream. Other events and spins can also impact the data. They are working with mostly known variables so the Webb team prepares their contact times for four to five weeks in advance. The data is then relayed via the Deep Space Network. Webb might be sending data on the same day but the capture and transmission of the data were planned far in advance.
