跳过导航
Golden Eye
Article

Golden Eye

A new space telescope makes a spectacular debut after a troubled gestation

Science, 2022


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Scientific
  • Eye Opening
  • Engaging

Recommendation

“It’s hard to even fathom,” US President Joe Biden said, in something of an understatement, as he unveiled the first image captured by the most powerful space telescope ever launched by humanity. Astronomers marveled as the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) gigantic golden mirror unfolded in deep space, recording light from galaxies as old as 13 billion years. The live White House event represented the bare beginnings of what scientists hope launches a new era in astronomy, revealing what the universe consists of, where it’s going and whether there’s life beyond Earth.

Take-Aways

  • JWST is the most complex and expensive science mission ever launched into space.
  • Science magazine named JWST its “2022 Breakthrough of the Year.”
  • JWST started data collection on June 21, 2022, and its first images were released in July.

About the Author

Daniel Clery is senior correspondent at Science, and an editor at the magazine since 1993. He is the author of A Piece of the Sun: The Quest for Fusion Energy.


Comment on this summary or 开始讨论