Wishes Come True

It was on the wish list in 1989. It made the recommended list in 1996. It was approved and construction began in 2004. The saying “good things come to those who wait” seems appropriate for the James Webb Space Telescope and its intrepid promoters. They knew it would be the source of all sorts of change in astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology. They knew. Their prophesy has been fulfilled.

The James Webb Space Telescope has ushered in a new, exciting, maybe confounding era. Its early data has made astronomers scratch their collective heads and say ‘that’s funny, didn’t see that coming’.

Example – JWST data shows too many galaxies in the early universe, causing astronomers to reconsider galaxy formation. It seems the galaxies formed much earlier and were brighter than current theory predicts.

JWST is earning its keep – it’s already collecting details about exoplanetary atmospheres. Taking a close look at WASP-39b it was able to tease out chemical reactions in its atmosphere. WASP-39b is a Saturn sized planet orbiting its home star, WASP-39 in the constellation Virgo, about 700 light years from us. Its orbit is way closer to WASP-39 than Mercury is to our Sun, so all that radiation and heat makes for a roiling witches brew of water vapor, sulfur dioxide, sodium, and carbon dioxide.

JWST is finding early galaxies and helping astrophysicists refine models of galaxy formation. JWST is examining exoplanetary atmospheres and solar system planetary atmospheres. It’s producing data about newly forming stars. The sheer amount of data is staggering and will take time to process. The data is waiting, like guests at surprise birthday party, to astound and confound! It’s great! Maybe the big prize will be a look back in time to see the first luminous objects forming in our early universe.

All this data is available due to JWST being an infrared telescope and able to see through the clouds of dust obscuring the visual light view.

JWST is a product of a process called the decadal survey, where a panel of scientists examine how current missions are performing and where the focus might be for the next 10 years. This is the Wish List. The most recent list was published on November 4, 2021. It is 615 pages, titled Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s but called Astro2020…duh. Bigger and more comprehensive telescopes are in the list, including a space telescope the size of JWST with broader spectrum capabilities, adding optical and ultraviolet detection. Another wish list item is a higher resolution space observatory to study the Cosmic Microwave Background in greater detail. Others include a Mars sample-return mission, a Uranus orbiter and probe, an Enceladus (one of Saturn’s moons) lander, and Earth impact threat systems.

What’s in the Sky?

Tonight 01/21/23: Astronomy Night at Tye Preston Memorial Library, Canyon Lake. Doors open at 7pm.

January 22; 30 minutes after sunset; low in the southwest: Venus and Saturn are about ½ degree apart. Use binoculars if you have them.