First Results from JWST

Guest Speaker: Erik Rosolowsky, University of Alberta

RASC Regular Meeting, February 13, 2023

Zeidler Dome, TELUS World of Science Edmonton, 11211 142 St NW Edmonton

7:00 PM (MST), Meet and Greet

7:30 PM (MST), Meeting begins, including guest talk, AstroImaging Corner, and other RASC features.

RASC Calendars will be available for purchase at this meeting! Calendars are $15 each, and exact change is appreciated.

FREE and open to the public.

This is a hybrid meeting. You may attend in person, or join remotely using Zoom.

Zoom link will be added soon!

Guest Speaker:

Erik Rosolowsky

First Results from JWST

M74 shines at its brightest in this combined optical/mid-infrared image, featuring data from both the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The dust threaded through the arms of the galaxy is coloured red, and the young stars throughout the arms and the nuclear core are picked out in blue, by the James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-InfraRed Instrument – MIRI. Meanwhile, the Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys adds depth: the glow of the heavier, older stars towards the galaxy’s centre are primarily yellow, combined with the blue in this image to make a spooky green glow. The red bubbles of star formation are also visible in Hubble’s optical wavelengths. Scientists combine data from telescopes operating across the electromagnetic spectrum to truly understand astronomical objects. In this way, data from Hubble and Webb compliment each other to provide a comprehensive view of the spectacular M74 galaxy. Links Image A Image C

M74. Photo Credit JWST & Hubble

Despite having only been in orbit for about a year, the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is quickly revolutionizing astronomy. In this talk, I will present a brief overview of why JWST is uniquely well suited to make new discoveries through its large collecting area and ability to observe in the infrared. From there, I will discuss new areas where JWST is busy driving change in astrophysics, focusing on new discoveries exoplanets, the first galaxies, and the study of the nearest neighbouring galaxies to our own.

Erik Rosolowsky

Erik Rosolowsky is a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Alberta. His research work uses radio, infrared, and optical telescopes to unravel the connections between successive generations of stars in nearby galaxies and the Milky Way. He greatly enjoys teaching math, physics and astronomy at many different levels. He lives in Edmonton with his wife and son.

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