Unlocking the Cosmos Stunning Webb Space Telescope Images and Stargazing Resources
- Rachel
- Dec 6, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 15
Learn more about he Webb Space Telescope and check out the following library resources to stargaze in your own backyard!
What is the Webb Space Telescope?
Check out this overview taken from the NASA Website!
"The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) will be a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror. The telescope will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in 2021.
The Webb telescope will be the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.
The Webb telescope was formerly known as the "Next Generation Space Telescope" (NGST); it was renamed in September 2002 after a former NASA administrator, James Webb.
Webb is an international collaboration between NASA, ESA (the European Space Agency), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is managing the development effort. The main industrial partner is Northrop Grumman; the Space Telescope Science Institute will operate Webb after launch.
Several innovative technologies have been developed for Webb. These include a primary mirror made of 18 separate segments that unfold and adjust to shape after launch. The mirrors are made of ultra-lightweight beryllium. Webb's biggest feature is a tennis court sized five-layer sunshield that attenuates heat from the Sun more than a million times. The telescope’s four instruments - cameras and spectrometers - have detectors that are able to record extremely faint signals. One instrument (NIRSpec) has programmable microshutters, which enable observation up to 100 objects simultaneously. Webb also has a cryocooler for cooling the mid-infrared detectors of another instrument (MIRI) to a very cold 7 kelvins (minus 447 Fahrenheit) so they can work."
Check out these other resources at your
Vespasian Warner Library!
Journey to the Edge of the Universe
The first accurate non-stop voyage from Earth to the Edge of the Universe using a single, unbroken shot through the use of spectacular CGI technology. Building on images taken from the Hubble telescope.
Non-Fiction DVD
Check Out a REAL Gskyer Telescope from
The Library of Things!
This take home kit includes: 1 telescope + 1 accessory tray + 1 Barlow lens + 2 eyepieces + 1 cleaning cloth + 1 remote + 1 phone support + 1 phone eyepiece adaptor. Check it out & explore the Universe in your own backyard!
Adult Equipment
Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time
by Elaine Scott
Have you ever wished you could travel back in time? Or visit a galaxy light-years away? Or see a star being born? The Hubble telescope has allowed scientists to do just that. The Hubble’s dazzling images have transformed astronomy, shedding light on the deepest mysteries of the cosmos, sparking new discoveries and turning speculation into fact.
Children's Non-fiction
Skywatching by David H. Levy
Skywatching is a comprehensive, indispensable guide to the magic and mystery of the heavens, from the glow of the night's first star to the splendor of distant galaxies. Authoritative, lavishly photographed, and with illustrated guides to the wonders of the natural world around us.
Adult Non-Fiction
The Birthplace of the Stars by Mari Bolte
Explores how the James Webb Space Telescope has allowed scientists to study stars and the dense clouds of space dust where they are born.
Happy Sky Gazing!
Until Next Time Library Friends!
The Vespasian Warner Library is located at
310 N. Quincy St. in Clinton, IL 61727.
Contact us by phone, 217-935-5174,
by email library@vwarner.org,
or drop in and say hello!
