![]() ![]() ![]() “It’s a new set of detectors,” says Robertson. ![]() “I’ve downloaded hundreds of gigabytes of data already to a local data server,” says UCSC Astrophysicist Brant Robertson.īut the data isn’t just large in quantity. Nearly 1,000 images combined to create this mosaic of over 150 million pixels. The largest of the five public images shows Stephan’s Quintet. “When we’ve done back-of-the-envelope calculations, we typically come up with that it’s around 100 times better,” says Illingworth of Webb.Īdd to that the fact that JWST is even more sensitive than planned, and you have a lot of data to parse. This makes Hubble data different-and complementary-to Webb’s infrared images from a million miles away. Hubble captures images in the range of visible and ultraviolet light from an orbit about 340 miles above the Earth. Some of the images can be placed next to those from the Hubble Space Telescope, but it’s difficult to accurately compare the two. Now, after six months of calibrations, Webb is sending back its first images of the universe, and they’re like nothing astronomers have seen before. “Every one of those really scary deployments-particularly the sunshield-worked absolutely beautifully,” says Illingworth. “Other things may go wrong in that time, but we’re not going to have a problem with running out of fuel unless something weird happens with the propulsion system.”Īfter a successful launch, the telescope meticulously unfolded over the course of one, nail-biting month. “So, in fact, the mission life, instead of being the really minimal five years or even the goal of 10 years, is now more than 20 years,” says Illingworth. The rocket, launched by the European Space Agency, placed the telescope on the exact path at almost exactly the right velocity and used very little fuel. “It was a stunningly flawless, great launch,” says Illingworth. To photograph the universe in this range of light, Webb flew to a stable gravitational point a million miles from Earth and delicately unfolded a sunshield the size of a tennis court to block nearby light and keep its sensitive instruments a frigid -370 degrees F. Young galaxies often appear bluish, but as light travels through space and the universe expands, the wavelengths stretch and become redder.īy the time the light from the earliest galaxies has traveled for billions of years and reaches our solar system, it can appear infrared. JWST captures images in the infrared, outside the range of light our eyes can see. “These telescopes are ways for exploring and learning about our origins, about how our planet, our Earth came about, and how the stars are formed.” “We’re one of billions of stars in the Milky Way, and that’s one of billions of galaxies,” says Illingworth. He and colleagues will use Webb to peer back in time and study the formation of some of the earliest galaxies in the universe. lead for the Public Release Imaging for Extragalactic Research (PRIMER). He spoke to Good Times from Baltimore, where he had just come from a meeting in the same auditorium that he attended the first science and engineering meeting for the project in 33 years ago. Illingworth started working on the project in the 1980s when it was still called the Next Generation Space Telescope. Everything is working better than we required, and in many cases better than expected,” says UCSC distinguished emeritus professor Garth Illingworth. “It is truly remarkable that it has come together so well. The stunning images are the first results of more than three decades of planning, $10 billion and thousands of engineers and scientists from NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency.Įach new ultra-detailed image creates a frenzy of scientific activity, and UCSC researchers are at the forefront. The First Deep Field shows distant galaxies and light that traveled for more than 13 billion years before reaching JWST.
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