With all the excitement of the release of the James Webb Space Telescope – hereafter called Webb – images this week, the Space community is buzzing with excitement and energy to see the latest findings! With the deepest ever view of the Cosmos, NASA, ESA and CSA have really outdone themselves! Join us as we take a deep dive into the images that have brought the world to tears!
What is Webb?
The initial ideation of Webb commenced in 1989, a year prior to the launch of its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope which is still known as one of the largest and most versatile telescopes. The aim of Webb was to create a telescope with 100 times the power. Webb is now the biggest space telescope ever built and a dream come true for astronomers and science fanatics alike.
Although the prospect of peering into the past…well, more like the beginning of time, sounds revolutionary, Webb has also been criticised for its ambitiousness. Nature.com note that Webb is humanity’s biggest gamble – costing over 10 billion $USD!
What do you think? Worth the investment?
What Will Webb Find?
Webb, now the largest space telescope ever, has travelled a million miles, equating to four times the distance to the moon, in order to commence observations of star formation, distant galaxies and much, much more!
- It will study a region of sky that is the size of three full moons, hoping to capture within it half a million galaxies. As part of the COSMOS-Webb study, the telescope will examine this field for >200 hours, making it the biggest project for its first year and creating a rich data set for astronomers in the years to come.
- In its first year, Webb will also study some of the famous exoplanets, including the seven Earth-sized worlds that orbit the star TRAPPIST-1.
- It will probe the cosmos in the near-to mid-infrared wavelengths. Most of these wavelengths are longer than Hubble can see. (This means we will be able to study light that has travelled from far-off galaxies and stretched to redder wavelengths by the expanding universe.)
- It will peer at cosmic phenomena including, but not limited to distant galaxies, and the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars.
- It will take spectra of astronomical objects, i.e., it will effectively split their light into individual components to learn what they are made of.
- Finally, Webb will also use its range of wavelengths to uncover previously unseen details of our own solar system. Some researchers are keen to study the colour and surface chemistry of cold worlds in orbits near Pluto. This, they believe, could reveal secrets of the solar system’s origins.
(Source: EGU Blogs)
The Images You’ve Been Waiting For
We would love to think that you stumbled across this blog as you are an avid reader of ours…however, the high likelihood is that you really just want to see the images taken by Webb. Well who are we to withhold! Take a look below!
Carina Nebula
Stephan’s Quintet
Southern Ring Nebula
SMACS 0723
Global Participation
It’s wonderful to see government organisations around the world come together to encourage an array of participation in this incredibly remarkable moment. The UKRI worked diligently over the past 6 years to engage primary and secondary schools, discovery centres and community groups all over the UK – the campaign builds on the conviction that exciting scientific endeavours like Webb belong to everyone.
If you didn’t get a chance to be a part of the action for the release of the Webb image, make sure you’re part of the SPACEtalks community and check out our website to pre-register for 2023!
SPACEtalks
SPACEtalks is a one of a kind, commercially focussed space conference created by Cosmonauts, a expert B2B conference producer, and fundraising organisation. SPACEtalks provides professionals, within the space community, an opportunity to learn and network with the brightest minds in the industry. With highly compelling and expert discussions taking place with speakers from government agencies such as NASA, ESA, the UKSA, investors from Voyager Space Holdings, Seraphim and Promus Ventures and space innovators such as the MTC, LIA Aerospace, RAL Space and Generic Robotics, you won’t want to miss out!
Check out the website and pre register your interest for our 2023 edition!
SPACEtalks has been a conference that has only grown from strength to strength with each edition and 2022 was no different. With over 200 attendees joining us at the iconic Harwell Campus, in partnership with the STFC, the conference boasted an excellent opportunity to dive deeper into the space community and network with like minded individuals. Join us in 2023! Pre-register today!
About Cosmonauts
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Categorised in: Space Tech