Wednesday, July 21, 2021

One of Webb's First Targets, When It Reaches L2 Stability, Next Spring...


NASA's Webb space telescope team thinks a system called Beta Pictoris, nearby -- with at least two rocky worlds, but lots of dust. . . may teach us much, with Webb's vastly improved (40X) optical properties. The picture above is the best we can get, from current gen Hubble imagery (in ultraviolet wavelength). [Amazing -- but wait until you see the next gen.]

Here's to learning much more, about how life might arise on smaller rocky worlds. . . like Mars, and of course, Earth:

. . .Researchers will use NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope to study Beta Pictoris, an intriguing young planetary system that sports at least two planets, a jumble of smaller, rocky bodies, and a dusty disk. Their goals include gaining a better understanding of the structures and properties of the dust to better interpret what is happening in the system.

Since it’s only about 63 light-years away and chock full of dust, it appears bright in infrared light -- and that means there is a lot of information for Webb to gather. . . .


Onward, smiling into a warm evening, and cool summer salads and frosty lemonade -- on the deck, after hiking the ravines. . . be excellent to one another.



नमस्ते

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