On Thursday, July 14 at 19:30 GMT:
This week NASA unveiled the most detailed images of the cosmos humanity has ever seen. Groundbreaking accounts of galaxy clusters, exoplanet atmospheres and dying stars are just the beginning for the James Webb Space Telescope, which astronomers say has ushered in a new era of space observation.
Able to examine deep space further than any other telescope and in a level of detail never before seen, the Webb telescope aims to understand the origins of the universe – scanning early cosmic history and the birth of astronomical objects. Another research aim will be studying the atmospheres of planets beyond our solar system and look for signs of habitability beyond Earth.
The most powerful and most expensive space observatory in human history, the Webb telescope is a $9.7-billion joint collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency. It was launched into space in December 2021 and has now reached an orbit about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth.
In this episode of The Stream, we’ll discuss the James Webb Space Telescope and what it could uncover about our universe.
On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Jessie Christiansen, @aussiastronomer
Project scientist, NASA Exoplanet Archive
Rene Doyon, @rene_doyon
Principal Investigator, NIRISS
Lamiya Mowla
Observational astronomer
