How long would it take to walk to Alpha Centauri? The distance to Alpha Centauri is about 277,000 astronomical units away (or 4.4 light-years). That’s about 7,000 times further than Pluto. New Horizons could make the journey, if you were willing...
Is James Webb much better than Hubble? Webb’s larger primary mirror has six times the light-gathering power of Hubble’s primary mirror. This is important at the longer, dimmer wavelengths of light Webb looks at. Hubble can see some infrared wavelengths, but...
Can James Webb telescope see exoplanets? For the first time, astronomers have used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to take a direct image of a planet outside our solar system. The exoplanet is a gas giant, meaning it has no...
What was James Webb accused of? Many astronomers had urged NASA to rename the telescope following accusations that Webb participated in discrimination and firing of LGBTQ+ staff from the U.S. federal workforce in the 1950s and ’60s. Can the James Webb...
What is the first image taken by James Webb Telescope? Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail. Thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared –...
What was James Webb accused of? Many astronomers had urged NASA to rename the telescope following accusations that Webb participated in discrimination and firing of LGBTQ+ staff from the U.S. federal workforce in the 1950s and ’60s. Is James Webb real...
Can JWST see Proxima B? Incidentally, the JWST is specifically designed to observe infrared light. The JWST can take photos of infrared light on the surface Proxima b, looking for patterns that would confirm whether or not this exoplanet has water...
What was the discovery of Proxima b? Does Proxima Centauri b have life? Much research is still due, but the studies conclude that the presence of liquid water on the surface today cannot be ruled out and thus Proxima b can...
Where is the James Webb telescope right now? The James Webb Space Telescope will not be in orbit around the Earth, like the Hubble Space Telescope is – it will actually orbit the Sun, 1.5 million kilometers (1 million miles) away...
Does Proxima Centauri emit light? The flare on Proxima Centauri was extremely powerful compared with those emitted by the sun. Unlike flares from the sun, this one also emitted different kinds of radiation. In particular, it produced a huge surge of...