Summary
The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest space telescope ever built and is specifically designed to observe infrared light from forming galaxies and exoplanets. It is 100 times more powerful than the Hubble telescope and has the ability to look into dust clouds where new planets are being formed. The stakes for this telescope are high since it is a million miles from Earth and is not fixable if something goes wrong. The documentary about the telescope follows the technical challenges of building it as well as the aspirations of the scientists who have been waiting for it for decades. The telescope is set to observe exoplanets and resolve long-standing mysteries, such as the nature of the most common type of planet identified by Kepler, which is not found in our solar system.
Natalie Batalha, an astrophysicist who worked on the James Webb Space Telescope, discusses the exciting possibilities of the telescope, including its ability to measure the ratio of carbon dioxide to methane on distant planets and potentially detect signs of life. She also addresses the potential for the telescope to detect techno signatures, or signs of intelligent life. The telescope will provide new insights into the climate and temperature structures of exoplanets. While not designed to detect life, the telescope will be able to measure the atmospheres of terrestrial-sized planets.
The documentary also highlights the seismic shift in the world of astrophysics, where many women are leading teams of people doing great science. The film also touches on the importance of taking care of the planet we have, as there is no planet B.
Overall, the James Webb Space Telescope is a groundbreaking project that involves building a telescope so large that it has to be folded up to fit into a rocket. The telescope is an engineering marvel that required the development of at least a dozen new technologies to make it possible. The launch is just a few weeks away, and the success of the mission is not guaranteed, but failure is a natural part of discovery and scientists will use the data collected to improve future missions.
