The Dawn of the James Webb Space Telescope Era

media release: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the most ambitious scientific project that astronomers have ever undertaken. A collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, the James Webb Telescope is about to revolutionize our understanding of the Universe. Astronomers will use it for a variety of applications, from studying the first galaxies that ever formed in the Universe to measuring the atmospheric chemistry of planets around other stars. In this talk, Michael Masada will explain what the telescope is and why it is such an engineering marvel. He will also explain the scientific implications of the first images that were released in July 2022, images which give a taste for the kinds of science astronomers will be doing with the telescope in the years to come.

Michael Maseda is an assistant professor in the Department of Astronomy at UW-Madison.  His research focuses on the growth and evolution of galaxies, particularly at early cosmic times.  He uses observational data from large telescopes to characterize the physical processes happening inside galaxies.