Webb is here – and it’s a case of love at first sight
On 12 July the Sky at Night Magazine team waited with bated breath, excited to see the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope. And they did not disappoint. We were spellbound and amazed by the detail, depth and structure JWST captured. See for yourself in our special Eye on the Sky gallery, which we’ve dedicated entirely to the infrared telescope’s first images.
And then came the science. We sat wide-eyed as Webb’s ability to break down light into its component parts through spectroscopy was revealed, dazzled that we were being shown individual elements in dust clouds circling the event horizon of a supermassive black hole 310 million lightyears away. Yet this is just one part of JWST’s science programme; turn to Colin Stuart’s feature to discover the other areas the telescope will impact. Also in this special issue, we hear from astrophysicist Mikako Matsuura about working with JWST, and The Sky at Night presenter Chris Lintott gives his thoughts on Webb’s first images.
Back on Earth, it’s an exciting time to be observing the night sky. Jupiter is at opposition and at its brightest, a great time to follow Pete Lawrence’s guide to making an animation of it. The King of Planets is joined by four of the Solar System’s other worlds all this month, creating an enchanting line-up in evening skies. Turn to Stuart Atkinson’s advice on seeing this planetary parade.
Enjoy the issue!
PS Our next issue goes on sale on Friday 16 September.