Rewrite the Stars
As the title suggests, we appear to be doing just that! The James Webb Space telescope made it's way out of the atmosphere just 6 and a half months ago and the astronomy-inclined public has anxiously been awaiting the photos ever since. A century ago, we didn't know other galaxies existed! Now, we are armed with a space telescope much more powerful than previously ever thought! The way that we think of space may very well change forever!
The telescope has been undergoing several very precise measures to calibrate, unfold, and brace itself for life one million miles into space; a favorable region dubbed L2. The telescope has to be able to withstand extreme heat and cold, operate remotely, and follow every single step of the calibrating process flawlessly in order to function in an incredibly desolate and unforgiving environment. Every one of these steps was executed flawlessly. You can actually see the distance, temperatures, and current missions of the telescope in real-time at NASA's fabulous "Where Is Webb?" page.
The very first photos from the telescope are expected to be revealed tomorrow, and have been rumored to bring scientists and astrophysicists working on the project to tears. That is . . . UNTIL TODAY!
A briefing was held with the President of the United States today to unveil Webb's very first image, announced at around noon today. The press conference, however, was only a few minutes long until the press was asked to leave so that the leaders of the nation and NASA could continue their briefing.
The photo that they shared though? Absolutely breathtaking, especially when compared to the Hubble Space Telescope's image of the same area.
Many have guaranteed Webb's ability to see if planets are habitable, which sparks the question of life outside of Earth itself.
As mentioned above, the briefing was jarringly short and (if you ask me) rushed. It wasn't even supposed to happen today at all, was announced hurriedly, and was rescheduled a few times. Although United States President Joe Biden claimed it was because he had to be in the Middle East in the coming day, some aren't buying it. The whole thing was underwhelmingly unceremonious, as nothing was actually explained about the image. It wasn't even compared to Hubble's previous image before the press were hurried out of the room before the briefing continued.
Which begs the question; what were they talking about? One must remember that NASA is actually a part of the executive branch and therefore spearheaded by the President of the Unites Staes, so of course they call the shots. It also isn't unusual for them to unveil astronomical discoveries.
What was discussed in that room after the cameras stopped rolling? Intergalactic travel? Aliens? Meteors of several origins hurtling towards Earth?
Who knows? One thing I do know is that, even amidst all of the bad shit going on in the world, we are very lucky to be alive to witness the greatest celestial discoveries of our time. Possibly ever!
Tune in to NASA's unveiling tomorrow at 10:30 am ET for the rest of the images, which will undoubtedly to be ceremonious. They even made a trailer for the event and scheduled the Empire State Building in New York City to glow golden from this evening (July 11th) to 2am tomorrow!
They're stoked, to say the least.
Let's reach for the goddamn stars and make some history!
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