The James Webb Space Telescope: Expanding Our Vision of the Universe

The Ring Nebula, NASA image On December 25th, 2021, NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope. With a mirror over 6 times the size of the Hubble Space Telescope’s mirror, and with the ability to see infrared light that can penetrate through gas and dust, Webb quickly began revealing parts of the universe that we had never been able to see before. In its first year, Webb has already produced detailed images of planets orbiting other stars, revealed the atmospheres of those planets, and even looked back in time to reveal some of the earliest stars and galaxies in the universe as they were forming! Join me as we discuss what Webb is, look at some of the amazing images it has produced, and preview some of the exciting ways in which this telescope is going to revolutionize our understanding of the history and makeup of our universe.

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