Tag: Astronomy
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NASA, ESA, CSA release historic first images from the James Webb Space Telescope
NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have released the first set of full-color images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope — the world’s newest, most powerful, and largest space telescope. A total of five images were released, with the first image being unveiled by United States President Joe…
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Feast your eyes on the first course of a celestial smorgasbord from NASA’s Webb Space Telescope
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope provided this view of a galactic grouping known as Stephan’s Quintet. Click on the image for a larger version. (NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI) A day after NASA showed how far the James Webb Space Telescope could dive into the cosmic frontier, scientists released additional pictures demonstrating the…
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Biden unveils first image from Webb Space Telescope, expanding the space frontier
The first full-color image from the James Webb Space Telescope reveals faraway galaxies. Click on the image for a larger view. (NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI) President Joe Biden got in on today’s celebration of the first full-color image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a $10 billion observatory that’s been decades in…
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Euclid moving into final phase of testing following integration milestone
The European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Euclid space telescope has moved closer to launch after prime contractor Thales Alenia Space mated the spacecraft’s service module and payload module. Euclid will aim to study the “dark universe” through visible-light and near-infrared astronomy. The mission had been slated to launch no earlier than the first quarter of 2023,…
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Roman Space Telescope to search for other Earths by surveying space dust
With the James Webb Space Telescope continuing its commissioning phase, NASA is already looking ahead to its next major space observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Currently scheduled to launch in 2027, Roman will observe the universe to answer crucial questions needed for the complete understanding of our universe, especially in the areas of…
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Astronomers set up a new center to address issues raised by SpaceX and Amazon satellite networks
This time-lapse image of Venus and the Pleiades shows the tracks of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. (Torsten Hansen / IAU OAE / Creative Commons Attribution) The International Astronomical Union is heading up the creation of a new center to deal with the complications created by broadband satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper. The…
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Webb Telescope fires thrusters to settle in at destination, a million miles from Earth
An artist’s conception shows the James Webb Space Telescope operating at L2, with the sun, Earth and moon behind its sunshield. (NASA Illustration) The $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope successfully fired its thrusters today to put it in position at the destination where it’s expected to probe the mysteries of the universe for years…
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James Webb Space Telescope fully deploys, Northrop Grumman marks sunshield success
At 18:17 UTC on January 8, 2022, the joint NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) successfully deployed the starboard wing of its massive 6.5-meter mirror — marking the end of the observatory’s intense and critical deployment sequence. The feat capped an impressive series of engineering accomplishments,…
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Astronomers breathe a sigh of relief after Webb Telescope unfolds its mirror in space
NASA’s Bill Ochs and John Durning bump fists in celebration at the Space Telescope Science Institute after the James Webb Space Telescope’s deployment. (NASA Photo / Bill Ingalls) Two weeks after its Christmas launch, the James Webb Space Telescope finished unwrapping itself today, delighting astronomers in the process. The deployment of JWST’s 18-segment, 21.3-foot-wide primary…
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James Webb Space Telescope en route to L2; deployment sequence underway
Following a launch on December 25 atop an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket, the joint NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope is currently traveling toward the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2 (L2), where it is expected to orbit and perform future science observations. Liftoff occurred at 12:20 UTC from the ELA-3 launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre…