James Webb Space Telescope will release its 1st science-quality images July 12

We have a date for the first real images from NASA.

NASA will release the first operational images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope on July 12 after half a year in space, according to an agency statement posted Wednesday. The agency emphasized that it took five years of work among several space agencies to decide what the first images will show.

The goal for the first images and data is to showcase the telescope's powerful instruments and to preview the science mission to come, according to the astronomer.

Live updates: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission

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The interim alignment images were taken to evaluate the observatory's capabilities. The July 12 images will come after each instrument is adjusted, tested, and given the green light by its science and engineering team, according to NASA.

It is difficult to predict how the new images will look, despite all the months of careful alignment. The high-resolution view of the universe will be unique, as it has an 18-segment hexagonal mirror that is expected to show the first galaxies early in the history of the universe.

NASA said that the new images will be available in full color and will show the breadth of the science capabilities. This means the images will be included, but also the data to show the composition of the light.

The first images package of materials will highlight the science themes that inspired the mission and will be the focus of its work: the early universe, the evolution of galaxies through time, the lifecycle of stars, and other worlds.

We know what the first year of operations will be called, called Cycle 1. The list of planned investigations was published by the agency after a competition within the science community to determine the highest priority work.

As we near the end of preparing the observatory for science, we are on the verge of an incredibly exciting period of discovery about our universe.

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