May you always look up at the stars and be curious about the beauties and mysteries of the universe! This week at Fuel Cycle we are celebrating the first pictures from the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as the accomplishments of all humans and animals that brought us to this era of space exploration.
Galaxy brain time! Here’s what our team members have to say:
“I think the most incredible thing about these pictures is we have managed to collect information that is a bit more than 13 billion years old. We are peering at galaxies that at that time would only have formed a couple hundred thousand years after the big bang. I’m glad to be here to witness it. There are already members of the team that are expecting data back as early as Thursday. This is truly going to catapult our capabilities for testing data and theory.” Matthew Kessler
“I LOVE ALL THINGS OUTER SPACE, more than most. Another really cool thing to see if the comparisons from images captured from Hubble vs. Webb… the amount of detail and clarity is MIND BLOWING”. Elana LaDue. Editor’s note: see below for Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image
“I literally stared the first photo for like 30 mins.” Johnny Anderson
“I haven’t been able to stop looking at the photos! I mean, wow!” Kasey Neal
“I woke up early today to watch the NASA livestream because I’ve been following this since November, and I was not disappointed! I’ve recently taken an interest at looking into more the of theories they aim to test with the JWT, such as multiple universes and more black hole research. I can’t wait to see what they accomplish! Also, insane just to think that the initial image they released yesterday was done with just the Finder Scope aboard JWT, so the possibilities really do feel ENDLESS!” Yax Barillas
“JWST has felt like a movie or a new season of a TV show that gets constantly delayed to oblivion and finally meets and in many ways exceeds the hype. The fact that it can collect the deep field image in less than 12 hours versus the weeks it takes Hubble to take a photo. Insane.” Noah Weinstein
“The thing that gets me about things like the JWST is that they’re created by humans. The people that built this aren’t terribly different than us. So, the ability to build something and do something cool exists within our team!” Rick Kelly
“The 2nd love of my life (after Molly). It’s a LX90GPS from 2009 that I inherited from my grandfather. 🥰 It can see deep sky objects. I love that I’m surrounded by space geeks here. It’s home .🤓” Heather Randolph Editor’s note: photo shared with permission
“I was a solar physics minor in college. I spent a Thanksgiving break at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, studying the sun with the guy the solar telescope was named after.” Mark Rickard
We are thankful for all of our family, friends, teachers, and community leaders who nurtured our love of outer space. We honor the contributions and sacrifices of all those who have helped humanity to a brighter future. We seek recognition for all whose efforts to get us to the moon and beyond have been underrepresented. Together, with all our love, we earthlings continue to take flight among the stars.
To dreamers all over the world, let your imagination soar across the universe.
Photo credits:
Figure 1: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI, https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-reveals-webb-telescope-s-first-images-of-unseen-universe
Figure 2: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI) and the HUDF Team
https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2004/07/1457-Image.html?news=true
Figure 3: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-delivers-deepest-infrared-image-of-universe-yet
Figures 4 and 6: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
https://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages
Figure 5: Fuel Cycle Team Member Photos
