COLORADO SPRINGS — Today, NASA released the first-ever images from the James Webb Space Telescope. The $10 billion satellite is replacing the Hubble Telescope and can work much faster and more efficiently.
Some of the first images released show never before seen stars, galaxies, and clearer pictures of our universe.
They show a stellar nursery, which is a birthplace of stars, the life cycles of two stars, five galaxies conjoining and ripping each other apart, and a wide look at the cosmos.
Ambre Trujillo is a social media specialist at the Space Foundation in Colorado Springs and is also a volunteer NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador. She is excited because "We are not only finding answers, but we're figuring out new questions."
Launching a revolutionary satellite like this doesn't happen overnight. Trujillo says it takes "A lot of people and a lot of hard work. There were thousands of people in over 14 countries. There was hundred of universities, industries, and companies that really worked together. One of the most incredible international collaborations ever."
The James Webb telescope is the upgrade on the Hubble telescope, and the next step in understanding the cosmos. What took the Hubble telescope two weeks to capture, the Webb can do it in just over two hours.
The Colorado Springs Astronomical Society has been following the progress of the telescope for a long time.
Hal Bidlack is an amateur astronomer who works with the CSAS. They put on events all around colorado springs to better educate the community about what goes on above the sky.
Bidlack says "Well, it's significant on a number of levels, scientifically but also just in terms of human achievement. This is now a telescope that is sitting a million miles from earth, and designed to operate just a fraction of a few degrees above zero."
Webb can look at the chemical compounds of other planets, and see stars never seen before. But Bidlack says the best is yet to come.
"The most exciting thing I'm waiting for now are the pictures of planets circling other stars."
Webb can already see water on other planets. Maybe someday, it could be the key to finding advanced life in other worlds
If you want to learn more about the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society and view their upcoming events,you can visit their website
_____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
