I remember when Hubble was launched and there were problems when the telescope was deployed. It was short sighted. In time, they fixed it; we were lucky. Since then, some of the most arresting photos of our universe have fascinated everyone on our little world.
The James Webb Space Telescope was launched on Xmas day last year, and we waited with baited breaths, hoping for Ok, but fearing another Hubble-like glitch. But it’s gone perfectly, even better than expected. And now JWST will be doing deep science for us not just for the projected five years, but for maybe 20 years.
It’s already sent back some stunning images, that were released yesterday. The vid above shows them and explains what JWST is up to.
Just think: in our lifetimes we’ve gone from thinking there was just one galaxy in the Universe, our Milky Way, that this single-galaxy universe was infinite and “steady state”, to now: understanding that there are billions, maybe trillions, of galaxies, each galaxy with billions maybe trillions of stars (more stars than the grains of sand on the earth), and that this all started with a Big Bang some 13 billion years ago, and now we’re getting close to peering into that very beginning. And that’s in one lifetime. Not to mention that maybe all these trillions and trillions of stars and galaxies are just one universe in a multi-verse. Or that it’s all a simulation (which Elon Musk believes...). Wow!
JWST may find life on another planet in my lifetime. Depends on my lifetime.... And depend on life. I believe, as do many scientists, that there has to be life on another planet, just on the sheer numbers out there -- pretty much every star has planets circling it. But there’s also a strong argument for feeling/thinking/believing that we are unique. I hope not.
