Webb Telescope nearly ready to send images back to Earth of cosmos’ past

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Webb Telescope
  • Run time: 1:35
  • Downloadable audio here. (Note: Some web browsers may not support media download.)

By Kirsten Dorman
Cronkite News

Script:

HOST INTRO: 

THIS WEEK (LAST WEEK IF USING MONDAY) THE LARGEST, MOST POWERFUL TELESCOPE EVER LAUNCHED INTO SPACE MARKS A MILESTONE. THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE REACHED ITS OBSERVATION POST ONE MILLION MILES FROM EARTH.  AS CRONKITE NEWS REPORTER KIRSTEN (KER-STIN) DORMAN EXPLAINS THE TELESCOPE USES INFRARED LIGHT TO LOOK FURTHER INTO THE UNIVERSE THAN EVER BEFORE.

 

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ASTRONOMERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA HAD A MAJOR ROLE IN CREATING THE TELESCOPE’S INFRARED EYES. GEORGE RIEKE (REE-KEY) IS THE SCIENCE TEAM LEAD ON ONE OF THE KEY INSTRUMENTS THAT WILL HELP THE WEBB TELESCOPE LOOK AT OBJECTS DEEP IN SPACE.   

LAUNCHING THE TELESCOPE INTO SPACE IS PART OF WHAT HELPS IT WORK, REE-KEY SAYS, BECAUSE …

GEORGE RIEKE: “Infrared astronomy from the ground is trying to detect a match in a blast furnace … When you get in space, you can cool the telescope down, and then suddenly, you gain 1000 times more sensitivity.”

REE-KEY SAYS HE WORKED FOR OVER 20 YEARS ON THE PROJECT ALONGSIDE HIS WIFE, MARCIA (MAR-SHA) RIEKE (REE-KEY).  SHE WAS THE PRINCIPAL  INVESTIGATOR ON THE MAIN CAMERA, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST SENSITIVE INFRARED CAMERAS EVER BUILT. 

RODGIER (ROD-JER) WINDHORST (WIND-HOORST) IS A CO-INVESTIGATOR AND INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENTIST FOR THE WEBB TELESCOPE. HE EXPECTS WEBB WILL REVEAL THE UNKNOWN AND UNEXPECTED ONCE IT BEGINS CAPTURING IMAGES.

ROGIER WINDHORST: “We’re gonna understand better our place in the cosmos, we’re going to characterize and maybe even find earth-like exoplanets and understand them better.” 

RIEKE (REE-KEY) AND WINDHORST (WIND–HOORST) SAY THIS IS A HISTORIC MOMENT IN SCIENCE. THE WEBB TELESCOPE LAUNCHED INTO SPACE IN LATE DECEMBER AND NOW INSTRUMENTS ARE TURNING ON AND GETTING READY TO ALIGN IN THE COMING DAYS. SO THEY CAN TAKE IMAGES. THE GOAL IS TO FIND WHAT’S KNOWN AS “FIRST LIGHT” GALAXIES RIGHT WHEN THEY WERE FORMED. 

KIRSTEN DORMAN, CRONKITE NEWS.