Following its official launch in October, NASA scientists have finally unveiled some of the targets to be observed by the colossal James Webb Megatelescope. The American space agency said that these targets include objects both inside and beyond our solar system, from asteroids to the finding signs of life to the yet mysterious world of Trappist-1e. Apart from that, NASA has also revealed that the initial observations from James Webb Megatelescope will also explore a broad spectrum of the universe's mysteries.
NASA reveals that these initial observations will be made possible by a program of Guaranteed Time Observations (GTO). In turn, the GTO will be the one responsible for providing the ample time for NASA scientists that helped design and build the telescope's four instruments. According to Eric Smith, James Webb Space Telescope Director at NASA Headquarters in Washington, from things after the occurrence of Big Bang to the quest for other celestial bodies, Webb will be looking at things in the universe.
Furthermore, Smith believes that with the help of the Webb telescope, there could just be endless possibilities and discoveries that lie ahead. It was found that JWST will reportedly follow a series of cycles, beginning with roughly 8,700 hours or almost a year of observations. In addition, Dr. Ken Sembach, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute also believes that these observations could likely be considered as a major milestone along the timeline for producing revolutionary science.
Meanwhile, NASA reveals that the James Webb Telescope will have to undergo series of testing this spring in Houston, at extremely cold temperatures in a vacuum at the Johnson Space Center. In 2018, the American Space Agency said that the Megatelescope will also be sent to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in California for final assembly and testing prior to launch. Ultimately, NASA has also considered JWST as a time machine that will have the ability to peer back over 13.5 billion years, to 200 million years after the Big Bang incident took place.