NASA Triumphantly Unveils Full Set of Webb's First Images

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July 14, 2022

Dear Reader, This week is all about Webb. The James Webb Space Telescope, that is. Also known as JWST, this $10-billion observatory finally launched late last year after nearly three decades in development, on a mission to unveil the universe's very first stars and galaxies. The telescope's first batch of science images and data has now been released, and shows without a doubt that Webb was worth the wait. Our lead story introduces these images and some of the people behind them. For more Webb coverage, read our associated special report, watch our documentary short, and peruse an interview with one of its leading scientists and an essay about the mission's impact on humanity at large. Elsewhere this week, we have stories about new developments for the controversial telescopes of Maunakea, NASA's next spacesuits and more. Enjoy!

Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space & Physics @LeeBillings

Astronomy NASA Triumphantly Unveils Full Set of Webb's First Images Breathtaking pictures that include the deepest-ever infrared view of ancient galaxies offer a preview of the spectacular science in store for the most powerful space observatory in history By Lee Billings

Astronomy The James Webb Space Telescope The most powerful observatory ever made promises to produce some of the most incredible discoveries of our lifetime and beyond

Astronomy Maunakea's Controversial Telescopes Are Getting New Management Starting in 2023, control of the summit will shift from the University of Hawaii to an 11-member oversight authority that includes Native Hawaiian voices By Nadia Drake

Space Exploration Astronauts Will Wear These Spacesuits on the Moon--And Maybe Mars, Too The suits, supplied by Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace, will be used in NASA's upcoming Artemis lunar missions and will protect space travellers from micrometeoroids, moon dust and even vomit By Jonathan O'Callaghan

Astronomy See the Oldest View of Our Known Universe, Just Revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope Decades of work, $10 billion in spending and nearly 14 billion years of cosmic history have brought us to this moment: the first science from the largest and most powerful observatory ever built. By Lee Billings,Jeffery DelViscio,Jason Drakeford,Tulika Bose,Sunya Bhutta,Henry DaCosta

Astronomy Meet the Woman Who Makes the James Webb Space Telescope Work Jane Rigby, Webb's operations project scientist, discusses how NASA plans to wring as much science as possible from the $10-billion observatory By Lee Billings

Astronomy Webb's Record-Breaking First Image Shows Why We Build Telescopes A new galaxy-packed picture from the James Webb Space Telescope offers a chance to rekindle our wonder about the universe By Grant Tremblay

Electronics Should Machines Replace Mathematicians? A "replication crisis" in mathematics raises questions about the purpose of knowledge By John Horgan

FROM THE STORE Extraterrestrials and the Search for Life Do aliens exist? The enduring mystery of whether we're alone in the universe is a question that continues to drive scientific study into groundbreaking directions. This collection examines the latest thinking in the search for life, from discussing why we haven't found evidence of aliens so far to determining where and how to conduct the search to opening up the possibilities for what otherworldly life could truly look like.

QUOTE OF THE DAY "I spent probably two full hours just staring at it, sitting in my basement in front of my computer screen, feeling very alone in the world." Klaus Pontoppidan, the Webb telescope's project scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute

FROM THE ARCHIVE Mirror on the Cosmos: NASA's Next Big Telescope Takes Shape After more than 20 years the giant mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope is finally complete By Lee Billings | January 2016

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