James Webb Telescope Images - Raw Data Download for Personal Use

Test your galactic art skills and create your own image versions out of JWT's raw data!

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Irena Raselli I 22.07.2022 I Short Guide

My misty version of the Carina Nebula - by IR

In this short guide:

Where can I download the raw images ?

What are the four targets (pictured objects) ?

How can I open the JWT's image files ?

Chose the right colors for a natural look

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Where to download the raw images of the JWT

1. You will find the raw images on The Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST), under the following link:

https://mast.stsci.edu/portal/Mashup/Clients/Mast/Portal.html

2. Click on “Advanced Search”

3. In the filter box Mission type: JWST

4. In Columns, scroll down and tick Release Date

Then go to the corresponding Filter Box and put in the release date and time:

2022-07-13 14:00:00 - 2022-07-13 16:00:00

5. And then click “Search”

6. In the new Filter Tab, in Instrument select NIRCAM (near infrared camera)

You should now see 24 files in the table, including the following targets:

· NGC 3132

· NGC 3324

· NGC 7320

· SMACS J0723.3-7327

Images of the four objects post-edited by NASA:

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Top left: NGC 3132 - Southern Ring Nebula

Top right: NGC 3324 - Carina Nebula

Bottom left: NGC 7320 - Stephan's Quintett

Bottom right: SMACS J0723.3-7327 - Deep Field

Image source: https://webb.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplorer.html#43

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7. Click on Album View to have a preview of the images. You will see that there are several images per object - all black-and-white and slightly different in terms of 'contrast'. That's because each image was taken with another filter / different wavelenght.

8. Select the image(s) you would like to work with

How to open the raw JWT images (.fits format)

9. If you don't have a program to open .fits files, the free FITS Liberator from the NOIRLab (National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory) is a good choice:

https://noirlab.edu/public/products/fitsliberator/

10. After the installation open the program and drop the .fits file into it (there are several images in one file)

11. Check the images in Current Point Data and select the best one - if necessary adjust the black and white levels on the histogram below the image.

12. Save the image

- > If you want to work with multiple layers of different wavelenghts, repeat this step for the other files of the same object as well

13. Open the TIFF file(s) in your photo editing software such as Photoshop etc. Play around with coloring, transparency and blending...

For a natural look

If you work with several layers from the different filters and would like to base your colors on the wavelengths, here is a little help:

Image source : https://hubblesite.org/contents/articles/the-meaning-of-light-and-color

Now it's up to you - feel free and be creative!