The Ariane 5 is one of the world's most reliable launch vehicles and was chosen for a combination of reliability (it was the only launch vehicle that met NASA's requirements for launching a mission like Webb) and for the value it brought via our international partnership. The launch vehicle and launch site were part of the European Space Agency's contribution to the mission. The James Webb Space Telescope was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket. JWST is being used to study planets in our own solar system, atmospheres of planets in other solar systems, how stars die, how galaxies evolve, and much more, Rigby said.Webb was launched on an ArianeSpace Ariane 5 Launch Vehicle on December 25, 2021. "We're just starting to get this flood of papers announcing discoveries," she said.
JWST has already proven to be an incredible tool for astronomers, but its biggest discoveries are still yet to come, Rigby said. "We're studying where stars are forming in these lensed galaxies in ways that are just laughably not possible with any other telescope," Rigby said. Furthermore, JWST's instruments allow her to study the material composition of these galaxies through spectroscopy, a technique astronomers commonly use to identify the chemical makeup of objects in space. Hubble's instruments wouldn't have been able to see through the dust obscuring these galaxies, Rigby said. "Pretty much everything we're doing wasn't possible before this telescope," Rigby said. The "hourglass" of dust and gas clouds is only visible in infrared light, the wavelengths Webb specializes in. Webb captures the image of a protostar, the very beginning of a new star. So when I first saw the data, it was like stepping out of a virtual reality into the real world," said Brant Robertson, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "I've been looking at simulated data, trying to mimic what JWST would see, for many years now. Outside of our own solar system, JWST has also helped astronomers observe the oldest and most distant known galaxies. "Like stepping out of a virtual reality into the real world" "Boom! The ring systems just pop right out, and they're gorgeous," Hammel said. JWST's instruments spotted the rings with unmatched clarity. The Voyager spacecraft flew past Neptune in 1989, but could only capture the brightest parts of the planet's rings. Prior to JWST, Hammel said, astronomers had never clearly observed Neptune's ring system. Observed here in near-infrared wavelengths, Neptune appears ghostly white instead of blue.
This is the clearest view of Neptune's rings in decades, taken by JWST. They all agree JWST is a game changer, and that there's plenty more groundbreaking research still to come. NPR spoke with three astronomers in different disciplines of astronomy about how JWST is advancing research in their area of expertise. The telescope's instruments have allowed it to capture previously unobservable planets, stars and galaxies near and far. The telescope is only five months into its science mission, and it's already transforming astronomy. "I pulled down those data, and just started paging through them, pouring through them. "I downloaded the data, and I'm like, sitting in my pajamas.you know, it's pandemic, we're all working from home," Rigby said.
And the first results amazed astronomers. Webb's image reveals countless newly formed stars glistening amongst the columns of gas and dust.Īfter an initial calibration period, the telescope started collecting data. The Pillars of Creation were first photographed by Hubble in 1995.
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