Notable Discoveries By James Webb So Far

The James Webb Space Telescope, Something Truly Special

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or Webb for short) was launched on December 25, 2021. Since JWST went online, it has been actively observing the cosmos in ways we have never seen before. JWST is a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Webb is designed to be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been in operation since 1990. JWST is much larger than Hubble and has a much more powerful set of instruments. It is positioned at a point in space called the second Lagrange point (L2), which is located about 1.5 million kilometers (about 930,000 miles) from Earth. This position allows it to have a clear view of the universe without interference from Earth’s atmosphere or the Sun’s light. JWST is equipped with a 6.5-meter (about 21-foot) primary mirror, which is made up of 18 hexagonal segments that can be adjusted individually to optimize image quality. It also has four scientific instruments: the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec), the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), and the Fine Guidance Sensor/Near InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (FGS/NIRISS). JWST is truly a marvel of technology and here are some of the most noteworthy discoveries made so far.  

Ripples Around A Wolf-Rayet Star

The James Webb Space Telescope captured over a decade worth of strange ripples around a star system known as WR140. Previously, only two ripples were viewed via the KECK observatory in 1999. WR140 is a binary system comprising a WC7-type Wolf-Rayet star and a supermassive O5 star. WR140 is located in the constellation Cygnus, approx 5,000 light-years from Earth. These two stars are thought to both have a significant mass loss due to the stars’ current phases of life. This mass loss interacts when their elongated orbits bring them close together every eight years. When close enough, their stellar winds collide causing the squarish-shaped dust waves to expel outward as observed by James Webb. If you count the ripples on the JWST image, each one being approximately a year long, you can see a decade of production by these two stellar objects. The fact that this is occurring on such a fast time scale in cosmic terms, means that scientists will be able to study this system’s interactions and emissions with amazing detail via JWST and other observatories in the coming years.

A Detailed Look At An Exoplanets Atmosphere

JWST has had many firsts in the world of cosmic discoveries. One of the most promising for planetary scientists is a profile of a distant world’s skies. WASP-39b is a confirmed exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star located approximately 700 light-years away in the constellation Virgo. WASP-39b is what is known as a hot gas giant, orbiting its parent star every 4-1/2 days. WASP-39b’s diameter is 1.27 times that of Jupiter, but its mass is only a quarter that of Jupiter’s. Its close proximity to its parent star creates conditions, unlike anything we have in our home solar system. WASP-36b is extremely hot, sitting at around 900 degrees Celsius, causing the planet to be “puffy.” This Puffiness and close proximity to its parent star made it an ideal candidate for some of JWST’s first observations. JWST tracked the planet as it passed in front of its parent star, as the star’s light filtered through the planet’s atmosphere, Webb was able to observe what the planet’s atmosphere is comprised of. Different types of chemicals in the atmosphere absorb different colors of the starlight spectrum, so the colors that are missing tell astronomers which molecules are present in the atmosphere of the planet. By viewing the universe in infrared light, Webb can pick up chemical fingerprints that can’t be detected in visible light. Webb was able to detect sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Noticeably missing were methane and hydrogen sulfide. WASP-39b’s chemical inventory suggests a history of smashups and mergers of smaller bodies called planetesimals to create an eventual giant planet. Webb’s ability to study exoplanets’ atmospheres will be monumental in understanding how different planets evolve and if the chemical make-ups are there for the possibility of life beyond Earth.

The Clouds Of Titan

Titan is a strange world. It is Saturn’s largest moon and the second-largest moon in the solar system. It is also the only moon in our solar system with a dense atmosphere. It is also the only planetary body other than Earth that currently has rivers, lakes, and seas. Unlike Earth, however, the liquid on Titan’s surface is composed of hydrocarbons including methane and ethane, not water. Its atmosphere is filled with a thick haze that obscures visible light reflecting off the surface. Titan’s atmosphere and surface features make it a fascinating object of study for scientists. Scientists believe Titan’s methane-rich atmosphere and liquid hydrocarbon lakes could support life, although this has yet to be proven. JWST turned its sights on Titan, and scientists spotted something exciting…… clouds! Specifically, clouds in Titan’s northern hemisphere. Observing clouds on Titan is exciting for many reasons. One of those reasons is that scientists can study weather patterns on Titan. The team even asked the KECK Observatory in Hawaii to take a look. Two days later, KECK was able to observe clouds in the northern hemisphere as well. It doesn’t necessarily mean that KECK observed the same clouds that Webb did, but at first glance, it does seem that they are in the same position, only changed slightly in shape. The scientists aren’t done analyzing the data yet though. They identified the clouds in images taken by JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), a powerful camera that can image a target in several different wavelengths of light, which in the case of Titan allows scientists to separate out the lower atmosphere for more thorough observations. There is no doubt that more of JWST’s future time will be slotted for observations of Titan, with the hope of the Dragonfly Mission soon to come. Scientists will need all the data that they can get.

Capturing The Aftermath Of The DART Impact

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was sent hurdling into an asteroid named Dimorphos at a speed of around 14,000 miles per hour. Dimorphos orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos, and together these two asteroids are called the Didymos binary asteroid system. They pose no threat to Earth, so why slam a 1,235-pound spacecraft into the smaller of the two? Well, DART’s mission was to see if a celestial object’s course could be altered with the use of kinetic impact. Part of NASA’s testing is to prepare to redirect dangerous asteroids off collision courses with Earth. JWST, along with Hubble pointed its high-tech instruments at Dimorphos for several hours after the impact to observe the aftermath. JWST and Hubble watched as the debris plume ejected out into space. Their observations showed the initial impact plume and the spread of debris afterward. It was truly a sight to behold. Dimorphous’s orbit was shortened by 32 minutes, exceeding the predefined success threshold of 73 seconds! Our efforts to protect the Earth from asteroid impacts have now moved a step closer, and thankfully Webb was there to see it.

Stunning Detail Of The Pillars Of Creation

It’s no secret if you are a fan of the cosmos, that The Pillars of Creation are a truly iconic image. Hubble’s image-The Pillars of Creation has been used to show the beauty of space since its release in 1995. The image showcases towering columns of interstellar gas and dust located in the Eagle Nebula (also known as Messier 16), which is situated in the constellation Serpens. These pillars of gas and dust are considered to be nurseries for new stars, where the gravitational forces act to compress the material, eventually leading to the formation of stars. The Pillars of Creation image has provided astronomers with valuable insights into the processes of star formation. Since Webb sees in infrared, it can peer through the clouds and dust of cosmic objects like The Pillars of Creation, to unfold the secrets hidden within. And Webb did just that, showing us a new view of the familiar cosmic landscape. Countless stars are now visible, including newly formed stars that appear red. The sheer amount of stars visible in Webb’s image of The pillars of Creation has astronomers anticipating what they will see through the eyes of Webb next.