NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Captures Its First Images of Mars, Reveals Intriguing Details

Webb’s first images show a region of the planet's eastern hemisphere at two different wavelengths or colours of infrared light.

Written by Richa Sharma | Updated: 19 September 2022 23:36 IST

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Captures Its First Images of Mars, Reveals Intriguing Details

Photo Credit: Twitter/ NASA Webb Telescope

The image give details about the Huygens Crater, dark volcanic Syrtis Major and Hellas Basin.

Highlights

James Webb Space Telescope was launched in December 2021
Webb's first images of Mars are captured by the Near-Infrared Camera
Last month, James Webb Space Telescope captured images of Jupiter

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, known for capturing some incredible images of the universe, has presented us with new pictures of our neighbouring planet, Mars. The telescope captured its first images and spectra of Mars on September 5. The James Webb Space Telescope, an international collaboration between NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency), was launched in December 2021. Last month, the telescope gave us a detailed view of the Jupiter, showcasing auroras and rings surrounding the planet.

In an official blog today, NASA shared the news showcasing the Webb Telescope's first images of the red planet. According to NASA's tweet on the telescope's official Twitter handle, one of the close-up images gives details about the Huygens Crater, dark volcanic Syrtis Major and Hellas Basin.

Webb got its first look at @NASAMars! 👀

The close-up on the left reveals surface features such as Huygens Crater, dark volcanic Syrtis Major, and Hellas Basin, while the “heat map" on the right shows light being given off by Mars as it loses heat. More: https://t.co/7dVIr9g6NB pic.twitter.com/xOiPbz5nsT
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) September 19, 2022

Webb's first images of Mars are captured by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). These images show a region of the planet's eastern hemisphere at two different wavelengths or colours of infrared light.

According to NASA, the Mars team will use this imaging and spectroscopic data to explore regional differences across the planet in the future. They will also look out for traces of different gases in the planet's atmosphere.

Last month, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured some intriguing photos of Jupiter, featuring some magnificent auroras on the planet. These images were also clicked using the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) of the observatory.

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