James Webb; looking into the Genesis of our Universe

 

The James Webb telescope is on its month-long journey to Lagrange point L2 after its successful launch on December 25, 2021.  Point L2 is almost 1 million miles away from the Earth.

The Webb will look beyond to what the Hubble has already looked at.  As more distant objects are more redshifted and their light is in the near-infrared their observation requires an infrared telescope this is why the Webb was designed for.

The Webb will be able to look at the first galaxies and the first stars after the Big Bang, at the Genesis of our Universe .

View of the Andromeda galaxy taken by the Herschel Space Observatory an infrared telescope built by the European Space Agency.  The primary difference between the Webb and Herschel is their wavelength range and also the diameter of Webb's mirror is 6.5 meters and the Herschel's 3.5 meters.  The Hubble, the Webb and the Herschel will provide information that will allow astronomers to look and understand the early phases of our Universe.

The James Webb on Jan 24, 2022 reached its orbit 1 million miles from Earth and will begin looking back to the time the first starts and galaxies were forming 13.7 billion years ago and provide information about the origin of our Universe. 

                                     Credit to all images is due to NASA and ESA.

The Ultimate Journey

Although black holes have been studied for decades, all the images you’ve ever seen of them have been computer simulations or artist’s conceptions, until now.

On April 10, 2019, astronomers unveiled the first photo of a black hole, which is 6.5 billion times more massive than our sun. It is located in the center of the galaxy M87, 55 million light-years from Earth. The image shows a bright ring caused by superheated gas falling into the hole as the light bends in the intense gravity around the hole.

To obtain the image, astronomers used the Event Horizon Telescope, an idea that first Prof Falcke suggested, that links eight ground based telescopes around the globe to form an Earth-sized virtual telescope. Its Earth-sized scale gives it sensitivity and resolution that’s truly unparalleled. 

Black holes have raised complex questions about the nature of space and time and therefore "their existence is making astronomers ecstatic, as they were able to see the unseeable and the one-way portal to eternity", Dr. Doeleman, a lead scientist said.  This is a remarkable accomplishment of the human species thus the term Homo Sapiens is well deserved.

It is my hope that future generations continue channeling their energies and intelligence in projects like this for the good of all species on our planet and out of respect for the cosmos.

We are in awe by the progress in science illustrated here and seen in many other scientific endeavors. When I posted this, I learned about the passing of George Paulson, a highly respected physician and renowned researcher, historian and devoted family man. A man of good will who was always helpful to his patients and fellow men. We all share his dream that progress in the sciences and medicine will reduce the suffering from disease. We also hope that the advances in science will be accompanied by progress in our society to provide for the ill and disadvantaged. I consider this as Dr. Paulson’s legacy.