The $11B Webb telescope aims to probe the early universe

Re:The $11B Webb telescope aims to probe the early universe by josho on Wednesday December 08, 2021 @03:43PM (#29490231)

What exactly are we hoping to learn from the telescope? I understand that it will allow us to see farther than ever before, and that is exciting. But, there must be a list of hypotheses that astronomers are planning to test. None of the videos/articles I've found actually speak to the specific discoveries we are hoping to make. Is it simply that the science is so advanced that it's out of reach for a layman?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The $11B Webb telescope aims to probe the early universe by wefarrell on Wednesday December 08, 2021 @06:15PM (#29491838)

Webb has four mission science goals:

- Search for the first galaxies or luminous objects that formed after the Big Bang.

- Determine how galaxies evolved from their formation until the present.

- Observe the formation of stars from the first stages to the formation of planetary systems.

- Measure the physical and chemical properties of planetary systems and investigate the potential for life in those systems.

https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/about/faqs/faq.html#goals

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The $11B Webb telescope aims to probe the early universe by josho on Wednesday December 08, 2021 @06:23PM (#29491922)

Those are great thank you!

I suppose I'm also hoping to go deeper. Like how is this going to help us understand how galaxies evolve? I suppose it will because we can see farther and so younger galaxies, and compare that to older galaxies to learn more about how they change.

I guess I'll have to wait for science to do it's thing and then we'll likely have lots of information to explain it all. Right now it wouldn't be a particularly compelling book to write.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The $11B Webb telescope aims to probe the early universe by TheBigSalad on Wednesday December 08, 2021 @11:52PM (#29493947)

Part of this is that they don't exactly know what they are going to see out there.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The $11B Webb telescope aims to probe the early universe by doctoboggan on Wednesday December 08, 2021 @04:16PM (#29490632)

What I am most excited for is the experiments using this scope to analyse the atmospheres of exoplanets. The goal is to look for signs of like like high quantities of methane.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The $11B Webb telescope aims to probe the early universe by josho on Wednesday December 08, 2021 @06:24PM (#29491934)

I think the article touched on that, but your second sentence gave the context of why looking at the atmosphere is interesting. Thank you.

And yeh, that is exciting!

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The $11B Webb telescope aims to probe the early universe by doctoboggan on Wednesday December 08, 2021 @11:59PM (#29493992)

I've been waiting for JWST for years ever since I heard what it will be capable of. I believe detecting bio-signatures on a planet around another star will be one of the most profound perspective shifts humans will experience. (Even more than Copernicus putting the sun in its place.)

And I do believe there is a high probability of detecting those bio-signatures.

[ Parent | on HN ]