Astronomers the world over are buzzing with anticipation for the new science that will be possible once the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s most powerful space telescope, completes its commissioning. Since the telescope launched on December 25, 2021, it has unfurled its hardware into its final configuration, reached its final orbit around the sun, and completed aligning its mirrors with its primary camera, but there are still steps like the calibration of its instruments to go before it is ready for scientific use.
As soon as the commissioning phase is complete, which is set to wrap up this summer, the science observations will begin. And this is where things get exciting, as the telescope’s high sensitivity and infrared capabilities will enable it to observe extremely distant objects, even fainter than those observed by current space-based telescopes like Hubble. It will usher in a new era of astronomical observations and could help to investigate topics as wide-ranging as how the first galaxies formed and whether planets in other star systems have atmospheres or not.
NASA technicians lift the James Webb Telescope, using a crane, and move it inside a clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The scientific successor to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, Webb is the most powerful space telescope ever built.NASA/Desiree Stover
Thirteen projects have been chosen to test out the capabilities of this brand-new telescope in its first five months of operations, and as you can imagine, the competition for which projects should get first dibs on this new tool was fierce.
Most of the 13 projects chosen will look at distant objects like black holes or far-away galaxies. But one project will look closer to home — at Jupiter, right in our cosmic backyard.
To learn about what researchers hope to discover about this big, beautiful gas giant, and to find out why such a relatively close target is being used to test out such a powerful telescope, we spoke to Berkeley astronomer Imke de Pater, leader of the Jupiter observation team.
A whole system to explore
NASA
Compared to far-off exoplanets or even the more distant ice giant planets in our solar system, astronomers know a lot about Jupiter. We have troves of data about the planet thanks to both observations from ground-based telescopes and missions like Galileo, which orbited the planet up until 2003, and Juno which is still orbiting there now.
But as is often the case with science, every piece of data we get about the planet can raise more questions. “We’ve been there with several spacecraft and have observed the planet with Hubble and many ground-based telescopes at wavelengths across the electromagnetic spectrum (from the UV to meters wavelengths), so we’ve learned a tremendous amount about Jupiter itself, its atmosphere, interior, and about its moons and rings,” said de Pater. “But every time you learn more there are things you don’t yet understand — so you always need more data.”
Some of the biggest open questions we have about Jupiter concern its atmosphere, like how heat moves between layers in the atmosphere, and how the atmosphere interacts with the magnetosphere.
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
But the group won’t only be looking at Jupiter itself, honing in on details like the Great Red Spot (a turbulent storm so vast that it can be seen as a spot large enough to engulf the entire Earth) and the planet’s southern pole (with its distinctive auroras). They’ll also be looking at the whole Jovian system, including the planet’s faint rings and its moons including Io and Ganymede.
Each of these targets is intriguing in its own right — Io is the most volcanically active place in the solar system, for example, and Ganymede is the only moon known to produce its own magnetosphere. Taken as a whole, the Jovian system is the ideal place to test the limits of Webb’s capabilities.
Peering into the infrared
NASA
To help learn about these complex topics, de Pater’s group will be taking advantage of James Webb’s infrared capabilities, which allow researchers to look deeper into the planet’s atmosphere.
Those capabilities make it possible to study the atmosphere beyond what would be possible by looking in the visible light wavelength. “In the visible wavelength range, you basically see clouds,” she explained. “At infrared wavelengths, you can probe above the clouds and below the clouds, depending on the wavelength. At different wavelengths you can see different altitudes in the atmosphere, depending on the opacity in the atmosphere (i.e. how much ‘light’ is absorbed at the particular wavelength determines how deep one can look into the planet).”
Particularly useful for this research will be the mid-infrared wavelengths, which can be viewed using Webb’s MIRI or Mid-Infrared Instrument.
“The biggest advantage is at the mid-infrared wavelengths,” de Pater explained. “We can observe at some of these wavelengths from the ground, but the Earth’s atmosphere is so turbulent that what we get on the ground, we can’t calibrate the observations very well.” That means more uncertainty in the data; a problem which is exacerbated by the background infrared radiation on Earth.
But with a space-based telescope like James Webb, there’s no atmosphere and less background radiation to get in the way, and that means the data gathered will be much more accurate. Additionally, Webb offers exceptional stability, which means it can point at a target and not waver, thanks to its positioning in space. All of this means it can collect some of the most accurate data yet on Jupiter.
Testing out Webb’s limits
NASA
When assessing proposals for how James Webb could be used, de Pater explained, the committee deciding on which projects to pursue first wanted to see the astronomy community’s ideas about what the telescope could do. “So they really looked for projects which pushed JWST to the limits,” she said. “That’s what our project is doing.”
They will use all four of Webb’s instruments in different combinations for different targets in the system, to pick out different features like volcanoes, rings, and layers of the planet’s atmosphere.
The plan was to observe Jupiter, its rings, and its moons Io and Ganymede, but several years after the team submitted their proposal an unexpected problem arose — the telescope was actually too sensitive for much of the planned work on Jupiter. “The telescope was much more sensitive than they expected, so we had to change a number of our observations on Jupiter — and we can do less on Jupiter itself than we had originally anticipated.”
But the team still knew they could get valuable data and find ways to do the work they wanted to. They changed factors like which filters they would use, and looked at smaller fields of view.
Why Jupiter provides such a challenge
NASA
The idea that a telescope is too sensitive might sound counterintuitive. But think of it like taking a photograph while facing the sun: All the colors get blown out so everything appears white and washed out and it’s hard to see any detail. The light coming from the sun is just too bright, leading to an overexposed image.
The same thing happens when studying astronomical bodies. Planets don’t give off much light compared to stars, as they don’t produce light of their own but just reflect light from their stars. That makes planets much dimmer than stars overall. But when you’re looking at tiny details or looking for even smaller bodies like moons, or at fine details like rings, then the light from a planet can create glare in the data you’re collecting.
That’s the big challenge when using Webb to study Jupiter’s moons or rings: Trying to allow for the light from the planet so these small objects can be seen in detail. Jupiter is one of the brightest objects in the sky, so this isn’t an easy task.
Fortunately, astronomers have lots of experience with observing planetary rings using other tools like the Hubble Space Telescope. “So we use that knowledge for the JWST observations,” de Pater explained. The team will observe the rings at different “roll angles,” meaning the rings will be shifted into slightly different orientations on the detector. By observing the rings at different angles, they can see how the scattered light from the planet falls on the rings. Then this light can be subtracted, leaving just the light from the rings themselves.
Studying planets in our solar system and beyond
Using Webb to study Jupiter isn’t only a way to test the limits of this brand-new telescope. Studying planets in our own solar system can also help to understand planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets.
One of the big aims of exoplanet science today is to go beyond identifying a planet and estimating its size or mass, and to build up a more complete understanding of it by looking at whether it has an atmosphere.
But to understand planets in distant systems, it helps to understand the planets in our own. Webb will be looking at the atmospheres of distant gas giants, which we can then compare to what we know of the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn.
Furthermore, by using Webb to study Jupiter, de Pater’s team will develop a set of tools that can be used by others in the astronomy community to study other planets in our solar system, and give a glimpse of what Webb might be able to discover about them — including the intriguing and rarely studied distant planets of Uranus and Neptune.
“Our team will develop software which can be used for the Jovian system, but also for the Saturn system, for Uranus and Neptune. And we can show people what you can expect based on our observations,” de Pater said. “It definitely is a pathfinder in that way.”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
