149: James Webb Space Telescope with RSE Dean Mikolajczyk
On Christmas morning, NASA presented (launched) an incredible gift people of the WOLRD will be able to enjoy …The James Webb Space Telescope.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launched at 7:20 a.m. EST Saturday, December 25 on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America. On this episode of Casual Space, Beth and (resident space expert) Dean geek out on all things JWST!
The world’s largest and most complex space science observatory will now begin six months of commissioning in space! At the end of commissioning, Webb will deliver its first images. Webb carries four state-of-the-art science instruments with highly sensitive infrared detectors of unprecedented resolution. Webb will study infrared light from celestial objects with much greater clarity than ever before. The premier mission is the scientific successor to NASA’s iconic Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, built to complement and further the scientific discoveries of these and other missions.
About James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope’s revolutionary technology will study every phase of cosmic history—from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.
Webb’s infrared telescope will explore a wide range of science questions to help us understand the origins of the universe and our place in it. Webb will directly observe a part of space and time never seen before. Webb will gaze into the epoch when the very first stars and galaxies formed, over 13.5 billion years ago. Ultraviolet and visible light emitted by the very first luminous objects has been stretched or “redshifted” by the universe’s continual expansion and arrives today as infrared light. Webb is designed to “see” this infrared light with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity.
Webb will also be a powerful tool for studying the nearby universe. Scientists will use Webb to study planets and other bodies in our solar system to determine their origin and evolution and compare them with exoplanets, planets that orbit other stars. Webb will also observe exoplanets located in their stars’ habitable zones, the regions where a planet could harbor liquid water on its surface, and can determine if and where signatures of habitability may be present.
Using a technique called transmission spectroscopy, the observatory will examine starlight filtered through planetary atmospheres to learn about their chemical compositions.
ALL THE JWST Resources: https://webb.nasa.gov/index.html
And at the end of the show, we talked about LIGO. Here’s a great explanation of what LIGO is: https://fb.watch/aOmq7h_PkW/
About Dean
BS Technical Photography
MS Astrophysics
NASA MER Mars program
NASA Public Relations
Astronomy instructor & lecturer
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