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FEATURES
MANOR INK | DEC. 2021 | 17
I can see for miles and miles – and way back in time
If all goes well, this month the James
Webb Space Telescope (named after the
second NASA administrator who oversaw
the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo
programs) is destined to
launch into space and may
change our understanding
of the universe.
Originally conceived in
the 1990s, and costing over
Art
$8 billion, the Webb will
replace the Hubble Space
Telescope with astonishing
CATSKILL
NIGHT
SKIES
Steinhauer
new technologies to enable scientists to
peer far back and observe the universe’s
first stars and galaxies, as well as examine
planets in other solar systems, called “exoplanets,”
for signs of life.
First, a note of explanation.
When we view the
stars or galaxies from Earth,
we are observing them as
they existed when the light from them first
emanated. This is due to the time it takes
for the light to reach our planet over the
unimaginably vast distances of space, time
which can be billions of years, given the
age of the universe.
As the universe continues to expand,
the light sources from its earliest period
become fainter and harder to observe.
Webb will enable us to see these faint
objects much more clearly, thus enabling
astronomers to see much farther back in
SKY EYE The James Webb Space Telescope, set to launch Dec. 18, will provide astronomers with
a powerful new tool for gazing at the universe – and seeing it as it was early on. NASA photo
time than was possible with Hubble. Since
the chemical elements that allow life to exist
were produced in the first generation of
galaxies, the further back we can observe,
the more we may be able to understand
about the formation of the universe and
how life came about.
The Webb telescope will not only be
more than two-and-a-half times the size
of Hubble, but it will also be placed much
farther out in space than Hubble – almost
one million miles from earth, in a particular
location where the Sun’s and Earth’s
gravities balance each other out. That will
allow Webb to keep the light from the sun,
earth and moon behind it while it looks
outward into the universe.
Another exciting capability of Webb
will be the study of planets orbiting other
stars. This includes looking for the chemical
signatures of water, carbon dioxide
and methane – the evidence of life as we
DECEMBER VIEWING
n Jupiter, Saturn and Venus all
remain visible after dusk in the southsouthwest.
Venus is the brightest and
to the lower right of the three planets.
Jupiter is the 2nd brightest and to
the upper left. Saturn, relatively in the
middle, is the faintest
n Viewing of the Geminid meteor
shower should be best in the predawn
hours of Sunday, Dec.14.
n Winter officially descends on Dec.
21 at 10:59 a.m. But the days then
become longer, so cheer up!
know it.
Astronomers will be holding their collective
breath when Webb is launched.
As with all space endeavors, any mishap
could doom the mission. It will take about
six months for Webb to reach its new
neighborhood and then the telescope will
need to unfold its sunshield and mirror,
unfurl its solar arrays to tap into the sun’s
power and complete a very long list of
requirements before astronomers can start
using it.
In addition, since Webb will be so far
from Earth, repairs will not be possible as
they were with Hubble. No wonder the
NASA team has dubbed that period “six
months of terror.”
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