This July, NASA will publish the first scientific photographs from its next-generation space observatory following six months of in-space commissioning work. Here's how to watch the important event for free.
Four state-of-the-art equipment are aboard the James Webb Space Telescope to study anything from solar system objects to far-off, ancient galaxies created in the early universe just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. After its launch on December 25, 2021, the instruments are roughly halfway through their mode checks and are smoothly moving through milestones in deep space.
The main image release will occur on July 12 at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT). All of the activities can be found on Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or on the agency's website. Additional activities will be held later in the day and on July 13.
Tuesday, July 12
9:45 a.m. EDT / 1345 GMT:
Live coverage of NASA leadership and Webb mission personnel's opening remarks will be available here on Space.com, as well as on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency's website.
10:30 a.m. EDT / 1430 GMT:
Live coverage of the image release will be available on Space.com, NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency's website. The general public can also watch live on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, and Daily Motion.
12 p.m. EDT / 1600 GMT:
NASA and its partners will hold a joint media briefing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center near Baltimore. The briefing will be broadcast live on Space.com, NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency's website. Participants include:
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Eric Smith, Webb program scientist and Astrophysics Division chief scientist, NASA Headquarters
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Knicole Colón, Webb deputy project scientist for exoplanet science, NASA Goddard
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René Doyon, principal investigator for the Canadian Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph, University of Montreal
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Christopher Evans, Webb project scientist, ESA
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Klaus Pontoppidan, Webb project scientist, STScI
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Jane Rigby, Webb operations project scientist, NASA Goddard
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Amber Straughn, Webb deputy project scientist for communications, NASA Goddard
Wednesday, July 13
At 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT), a NASA Science Live show will air. Webb's First Full-Color Images Explained will be broadcast live on NASA Science Live, as well as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Viewers can submit questions via social media using the hashtag #UnfoldtheUniverse or by leaving a comment in the Facebook or YouTube chat section.
There will be a simultaneous live social media event in Spanish on the YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter accounts for NASA en Español.
