Webb telescopelocated one million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth, it can observe the side of Mars facing the Sun, putting the observatory in an ideal position to monitor the planet’s seasonal changes, sandstorms and the time.
The Webb telescope has fascinated again: the Orion Nebula may be hiding a secret
The telescope is so sensitive that astronomers had to make adjustments to prevent the dazzling infrared light from Mars from completely saturating its detectors. The Webb telescope then observed Mars using very short exposures.
The first images of Mars taken by Webb’s NIRCam instrument on September 5, 2022. Left: reference map of the hemisphere of Mars observed by NASA and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA). Top right: NIRCam image showing sunlight reflected at wavelength 2.1
Detailed surface of the red planet
The new images show the eastern hemisphere of Mars in different wavelengths of infrared light.
One shows reflected sunlight and the surface of Mars. For example, the Huygens crater, formed of dark volcanic rock, and Hellas Planitia, a huge impact crater of the red planet that stretches for over two thousand kilometers.
The Perseverance rover has received unique samples. It could be proof of life on Mars
Another image captures the thermal emission of Mars, or the light that the planet emits when it loses heat. The brighter areas indicate the hottest places. Furthermore, the astronomers noticed something else in the thermal emission image. As this thermal light passes through the Martian atmosphere, some of it is absorbed by the carbon dioxide molecules. This phenomenon made Hellas Planitia appear darker.
“It’s not actually a direct heat effect on Hellas”, he has declared planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Geronimo Villanueva.
Clouds, dust, water and gas
“Hellas crater is at a lower altitude, so the air pressure is higher there. This higher pressure leads to a suppression of thermal emission in this particular wavelength range due to an effect called pressure widening, “said Villanueva, who directs the Webb Telescope’s Mars and Ocean Worlds studies.
Thanks to the capabilities of the Webb space telescope, Villanueva and her team also mapped the near-infrared spectrum of Mars. The spectrum suggests more subtle differences in brightness across the planet, which could highlight some aspects of the red planet’s surface and atmosphere. The first analysis revealed information on ice clouds, dust, rock types on the surface and the composition of the atmosphere contained in the spectrum. Traces of water, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide also appeared.
NASA research team will share more information about the Webb telescope’s Mars observations in a study that will be peer-reviewed and published in the future. The Mars research team looks forward to using Webb’s abilities to spot differences between regions on the red planet and to search for gases such as methane and hydrochloric acid in its atmosphere.
–
