James Webb Space Telescope has comets to catch when science begins

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One might even be an interstellar visitor.

Since time immemorial, comets have baffled civilization. However, with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope this month

 scientists now have a better chance of understanding these ice objects.

The powerful infrared instruments of the James Webb Space Telescope will be pointed at three comets in the solar system for a research conducted by Heidi Hammel

Executive vice president of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy and a Webb multidisciplinary scientist

The chemical makeup of the comets will be examined

 This information may provide hints about the solar system's early history because comets are among the solar system's most primordial bodies.

Because of Webb's extremely potent near- and mid-infrared capabilities, Hammel stated in a statement, "We want to study comets using Webb." 

Because they enable us to analyse the chemical composition of the dust and gas that have broken out from the comet's nucleus

 certain wavelengths of light are particularly useful for cometary investigations.

Three comets, each from a different comet family, will be observed by Hammel's team. First up will be a comet from the Jupiter family

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