JWST: The Telescope That Changed How We See the Universe with Richard Panek [Ep. 477]

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The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been making headlines since its announcement. But what makes the telescope so special? How do astronomers create the captivating images we see online? And is the $10 billion gamble actually paying off?

Here today to invite us into the intricacies of the controversial telescope is none other than Richard Panek, an award-winning science writer who specializes in astronomy and telescopes. Panek is known for making complex scientific concepts accessible to general audiences by blending them with his excellent storytelling. In his latest book, Pillars of Creation, he tackled the JWST and detailed its story from the very beginning.

Join us as we dive into the telescope’s groundbreaking design, the controversies surrounding it, the remarkable discoveries it has already made, the science behind the stunning images we see, and what the future of astronomy looks like.

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Key Takeaways:

00:00 Intro

00:29 Panic! at the Discs

02:13 Hubble vs. Webb

05:05 Judging a book by its cover

09:26 The discovery of dimethyl sulfide on Kepler K2-18b

11:27 Exoplanet detection and scientific goals

13:33 Historical rhymes in astronomy

16:56 The process and costs of running JWST

21:21 Controversy around naming JWST

28:25 How JWST images are made

37:43 Margin beyond the margin of error

40:11 Assigning colors to infrared images

43:26 The future of NASA’s giant observatories

45:08 The 4-Percent Universe and what’s next for Richard

48:33 Outro

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Additional resources:

➡️ Learn more about Richard Panek:

📱 Website: https://www.richardpanek.net/ 📚 Pillars of Creation: https://a.co/d/d86haI5 📚 The 4-Percent Universe: https://a.co/d/hBlWtol

➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms:

✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

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