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James Webb Telescope

New picture, if anyone's interested. This one is from the Fine Guidance Sensor, so it isn't actually a science image, which is probably why they didn't wait until the 12th to release this one. But it's still pretty cool anyway:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/07/06/webbs-fine-guidance-sensor-provides-a-preview/
The result – using 72 exposures over 32 hours – is among the deepest images of the universe ever taken, according to Webb scientists. When FGS’ aperture is open, it is not using color filters like the other science instruments – meaning it is impossible to study the age of the galaxies in this image with the rigor needed for scientific analysis. But even when capturing unplanned imagery during a test, FGS is capable of producing stunning views of the cosmos.
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And other links for the latest info:

https://webb.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html
https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/

NASA Shares List of Cosmic Targets for Webb Telescope’s First Images
Below is the list of cosmic objects that Webb targeted for these first observations, which will be released in NASA’s live broadcast beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, July 12.
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Some of the objects in the list are very interesting. Like:
SMACS 0723: Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, permitting a deep field view into both the extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations.
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https://www.universetoday.com/156664/good-news-one-jwst-picture-early/

For everybody waiting with bated breath for Tuesday’s release of the first James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images, NASA’s doing a bit of a tease. They’re releasing one image a day early on Monday afternoon. And, the announcer will be the President of the United States, Mr. Joseph R. Biden. Joining him will be NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who will conduct this one-of-a-kind White House astronomy briefing. It’s all part of the buildup to the big reveals on Tuesday.
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So that's at 5:30 pm, EDT. 8 and a half hours from now, or so.

It would be epic if a reporter asked the president if there were any pictures of Uranus.
 
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Pixel42 said:
https://www.universetoday.com/156664/good-news-one-jwst-picture-early/
For everybody waiting with bated breath for Tuesday’s release of the first James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images, NASA’s doing a bit of a tease. They’re releasing one image a day early on Monday afternoon. And, the announcer will be the President of the United States, Mr. Joseph R. Biden. Joining him will be NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who will conduct this one-of-a-kind White House astronomy briefing. It’s all part of the buildup to the big reveals on Tuesday.
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Ugh. Why are they having politicians announce cutting edge scientific findings?

That's a rhetorical question. I know why, I just don't like it. Politicians want some un-earned glory. They want credit for other people's accomplishments, because they might have played a part in spending other people's money on those projects. As if that's the hard part.
 
Ziggurat said:
Ugh. Why are they having politicians announce cutting edge scientific findings?

That's a rhetorical question. I know why, I just don't like it. Politicians want some un-earned glory. They want credit for other people's accomplishments, because they might have played a part in spending other people's money on those projects. As if that's the hard part.
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And some people -- we have to include politicians in that group, little as you may like it -- rejoice in great achievements, and use their public position to share the joy as widely as they can.

Considering how long Webb has taken, I don't think Biden is trying to claim any credit. But do listen critically to his little speech, and report to us how egregious it is. Thanks in advance.
 
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Ziggurat said:
Ugh. Why are they having politicians announce cutting edge scientific findings?

That's a rhetorical question. I know why, I just don't like it. Politicians want some un-earned glory. They want credit for other people's accomplishments, because they might have played a part in spending other people's money on those projects. As if that's the hard part.
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Ugh. Why are they having invisible, magical, sky-daddy hugging theists announce cutting edge scientific findings?

That's a rhetorical question. I know why, I just don't like it. ;)

Wonder if they will claim to be seeing evidence of "The Creation"?

Puppycow said:
It would be epic if a reporter asked the president if there were any pictures of Uranus.
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It would be epic if a reporter asked The President and Nelson if there were any pictures of their sky-daddy. :D
 
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I feel like a chump. They did say 5:30 EDT, and it's already about 40 minutes late. I have to leave for work now anyway.

Thanks Biden! :rolleyes:

Predictably, comments and chat are disabled on the YouTube livestream, leaving me unable to express my dissatisfaction with this bait-and-switch.

Damn Boomers.
 
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I missed a bit of excitement in the live feed of the SpaceX booster static test while watching the static "Coming Soon" slide for the JWST presentation. :-)

But I just downloaded the tif file linked above and panning and zooming it is pretty darn cool.
 
While I'm sure there is a simple astronomical answer for this, something I have often wondered, is why a telescope cannot look into deep space somewhere and see the earth or our solar system where it was at some point in the past?
 
Skeptical Greg said:
While I'm sure there is a simple astronomical answer for this, something I have often wondered, is why a telescope cannot look into deep space somewhere and see the earth or our solar system where it was at some point in the past?
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:confused:

Only if there were a gigantic mirror, millions or billions of light-years away.

We are, of course, looking away from the earth and from the solar system when we look out into deep space, so naturally we would not see the earth somewhere out there in deep space.

If, somehow, light from our own galaxy could be bent by 180 degrees at some far away place, I suppose it is conceivable, but even with gravitational lensing, light rarely bends that sharply except near the event horizon of a black hole. Or if there is a mirror, of course.
 
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