The Sky at Night TV show, past, present and future
Inside the Sky at Night
JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE SPECIAL
As the first images from JWST come in, Mikako Matsuura recalls how she won not just one but two observing opportunities on the world’s most anticipated telescope
With a mirror area 64 times bigger than NASA’s previous infrared space telescope and instruments up to 100 times more sensitive, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will allow us to take deeper and sharper images of astronomical objects than ever before.
Although JWST is a NASA-led mission with involvement from the European and Canadian space agencies, astronomers from any country can apply for observing time. When the call for proposals went out in 2018, I decided to request observations of Supernova 1987A. It’s the closest supernova explosion in the last 400 years, located 170,000 lightyears away from Earth. We’ve been able to see the fast shock waves from the supernova, travelling at 1,000km/s, as they expand and destroy the surrounding material.
Writing an observing proposal is time-consuming. It takes up to two weeks, requiring detailed simulations of how much time is needed. But just as I finished writing the proposal and went to click the submit button, an e-mail from NASA arrived announcing the launch was delayed. How disappointing! JWST is a $10bn space mission, so of course it’s better to be safe than sorry. But still, it was disheartening.
NASA reopened proposals two years later. When I looked back at my work, I realised it lacked a punchline: “Why do we need the JWST for this observation?” It’s a key point that should be included in any observing proposals, but it was missing. I realised JWST will be able to capture how blast shock waves break up dust, which we couldn’t see before.
Made it, with time to spare
Then, three days before the deadline, when everything was sorted, I realised something was wrong in my exposure time simulation. I started panicking, but it’s always helpful to have collaborators. My colleagues Tea Temim and Martha Boyer from the Space Telescope Science Institute redid the simulations from scratch and we were able to submit on time.
Back in 2018, I’d also wanted to observe planetary nebula NGC 6302, but it would have been far too demanding to write two proposals. However, as I’d done most of the work for the Supernova 1987A submission back in 2018, I was able to write a new proposal for NGC 6302 in 2020.
It is always good to share ideas and get constructive criticism, and when I did, Rens Waters from Groningen and Eric Lagadec from Nice said, “It‘s a good idea, but there are too many details”. Sometimes if you are in your own world, you don’t really see your own faults: you lose the bigger picture. Rens re-wrote the first key introduction paragraph, guiding the scientific case, and so the second proposal was submitted.
Another six months passed. It was April 2021, a sunny day just before Easter. My husband and I took an extra day off and went for a drive when suddenly my phone notified me the JWST selection results were out. I was so scared to open the emails, not knowing if they would say “Congratulations!” or “We’re very sorry”.
After I came back home, I took a breath and opened them. Both were accepted. Unbelievable! At the same time, the responsibility to make these observing programs successful now fell on my shoulders. And now, as the data arrives, it’s time for the next round of challenges to begin.
THE SKY AT NIGHT WANTS YOUR QUESTIONS
As part of the British Science Festival 2022, The Sky at Night is recording a special programme on 14 September, when the presenters and special guests will be answering questions from viewers. If you have a question – on anything from space travel and technology to astronomy and astrophysics – the programme team want to hear from you at: skyatnightqt@bbc.co.uk
Looking back: The Sky at Night
19 September 1957
On 19 September 1957’s episode of The Sky at Night, Patrick Moore was joined on the show by a special guest: 14-year-old astronomer Clive Hare. On 3 August, Hare had been one of the first people to observe a new comet streaking across the sky in the constellation of Gemini. Being a member of the British Astronomical Association, Hare knew to report his findings, noting that the comet was of equal brightness to nearby Pollux (mag +1.5) and around 2° long.
As the BAA raced to release a report, it soon became clear that astronomers all over the world were also making the same discovery. The first sighting was traced back to Japanese astronomer S Kuragano on 29 July, but several other astronomers also spotted the comet. In the end, naming rights went to the first report to reach the International Astronomical Union, which was from Czech astronomer Anotonín Mrkos.
Now the comet is known as Comet C/1957 P1 Mrkos. It would eventually reach a brightness of mag. +1.0 on 4 August and stretched out across 5° of sky at its longest. After that, the comet slowly faded, passing through the constellation of Ursa Major to Coma Berenices, and was eventually lost from view in Virgo at the end of September.
Hare’s appearance on the show was part of Patrick’s lifelong belief that anyone could be an astronomer, regardless of age, and his observation remains a prime example of the major role amateur astronomers play in the world of astronomical discovery.
SEPTEMBER
How to Photograph the Universe So you enjoy observing the night sky, watching the planets, stars and other objects through your telescope, but have you ever wanted to photograph what you see? In this month’s episode, Pete Lawrence is your guide as he and the team explore astrophotography: what you need to get started and how you too can capture beautiful images of the cosmos.
Four, 12 September, 10pm (first repeat will be on Four, 15 September, time tbc)
Check www.bbc.co.uk/skyatnight for up-to-date information
Dr Mikako Matsuura is an astrophysicist at Cardiff University working in infrared and millimetre observations