Launched in December 2021, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is a large, space-based observatory optimized for infrared light and designed to complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio showcases the remarkable images obtained by the mission and interprets the telescope’s discoveries to date.
The latter include the detection of Neptune’s auroras; the determination of the composition of the atmospheres of extrasolar planets; and the detection of some of the earliest, most distant galaxies that formed in the universe. These galaxies were revealed to be surprisingly bright, massive, and characterized by unusual chemical features. The telescope has also uncovered more faint galaxies than anticipated. Another unexpected discovery is that the early universe was populated by an abundance of compact red-color sources of unknown origin. Livio guides participants through these exciting findings, as well as others.
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