1 WEBB IS HAILED AS THE GREATEST SPACE BREAKTHROUGH
When Webb launched on 25 December 2021, it was the culmination of decades of work by NASA scientists and engineers. The launch went off without a hitch, as did the numerous steps of the telescope’s deployment in the following months. In mid-July Webb released its stunning first images. The infrared telescope will help us see almost every part of our universe in greater detail, including the most distant galaxies, allowing us a glimpse into the past. “Within days of [Webb] coming online in late June 2022, researchers began discovering thousands of new galaxies more distant and ancient than any previously documented – some perhaps more than 150 million years older than the oldest identified by Hubble,” editors of the journal Science said. The journal named Webb as its Science Breakthrough of 2022, while the journal Nature chose Jane Rigby, Webb’s operations project scientist, to include in their ‘ten people who helped shape science stories’ list for 2022.
“What’s more, the telescope is capable of collecting enough light from astronomical objects – ranging from birthing stars to exoplanets – to reveal what they are made of and how they are moving through space,” the editors of said. “This data has already begun to reveal the atmospheric composition of planets hundreds of light years from Earth in great detail, offering hints as to their ability to potentially
