The First Priority Targets, For The Next Gen Space 'Scope -- As Released By ESA/NASA/Goddard...

We will, of course, be treated to the first razor sharp images, come Tuesday morning. . . but between now and then, NASA and ESA have released a list of the first ten or so priority observing sweeps, and among them are a few exo-planets.

These images will revolutionize our understanding of the youngest (exo-planet-), and oldest (deep, early Universe) objects in the night sky. Most of them too faint for any human to have ever witnessed them, even with the aid of Hubble. We are on the cusp of an age not unlike that when Galileo first aimed his lenses at the night sky. Our whole conception of ourselves is about to change, as it is not entirely improbable that one night, in the next few years, we will see unmistakable visual evidence of. . . exo-biology:

. . .These listed targets below represent the first wave of full-color scientific images and spectra the observatory has gathered, and the official beginning of Webb’s general science operations. They were selected by an international committee of representatives from NASA, ESA, CSA, and the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Carina Nebula. The Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located approximately 7,600 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. Nebulae are stellar nurseries where stars form. The Carina Nebula is home to many massive stars, several times larger than the Sun.

WASP-96 b (spectrum). WASP-96 b is a giant planet outside our solar system, composed mainly of gas. The planet, located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth, orbits its star every 3.4 days. It has about half the mass of Jupiter, and its discovery was announced in 2014.

Southern Ring Nebula. The Southern Ring, or “Eight-Burst” nebula, is a planetary nebula – an expanding cloud of gas, surrounding a dying star. It is nearly half a light-year in diameter and is located approximately 2,000 light years away from Earth.

Stephan’s Quintet: About 290 million light-years away, Stephan’s Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus. It is notable for being the first compact galaxy group ever discovered in 1877. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet are locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters.

SMACS 0723: Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, permitting a deep field view into both the extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations.

The release of these first images marks the official beginning of Webb’s science operations, which will continue to explore the mission’s key science themes. Teams have already applied through a competitive process for time to use the telescope, in what astronomers call its first “cycle,” or first year of observations. . . .

Now you know -- off, to a backyard six-year old baby girl's bluebird-themed birthday party. Grin. . . .

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