The first images of Mars from the James Webb Space Telescope may reveal more about the atmosphere

The James Webb Space Telescope still captures for the first time Pictures of the planets of the solar systemAnd the last installment can be especially helpful. At NASA and the European Space Agency subscriber The first images of Mars were taken on September 5, which promise new insights into the planet’s atmosphere. The near-infrared camera (NIRCam) data does present some surprises. For starters, the Hellas Giant Basin is strangely darker than nearby areas at the hottest time of the day, NASA’s Giuliano Liuzzi and space.com pointing to Higher air pressure at a lower trough height reduces heat emissions.

The JWST images also gave space agencies the opportunity to share the composition of Mars’ near-infrared atmosphere using the spectroscopic array on the telescope. The spectral “map” (center) shows the planet absorbing carbon dioxide at different wavelengths, as well as the presence of carbon monoxide and water. A future article will provide more details about the chemistry of the Martian air.

It was particularly difficult to record images. Mars is one of the brightest things the James Webb Telescope can see—a problem for an observatory designed to study The farthest thing in the universe. The researchers counteracted this by taking very short exposures and using special techniques to analyze the results.

This is just the first wave of images and data. More observations will be needed to reveal more about Mars. However, spectroscopic information already indicates more information about the materials of the planet. Liuzzi also believes that JWST studies can resolve disputes over the presence of methane on Mars, which could indicate that the Red Planet harbored life in its distant past.