SPACE TELESCOPES

Astronomers all over the world are eagerly awaiting the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. The infrared space telescope, which will carry the largest astronomical mirror ever flown in space is one of the most complex observatories ever built. It will allow unprecedented science, including investigations into the atmospheres of exoplanets and the formation of galaxies, addressing fundamental questions in astronomy. The mission is an international collaboration between NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency, and is planned for launch in 2021 on a European Ariane 5 rocket. Learn more about the JWST: http://bit.ly/ESAJWST ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe

Consider supporting Space Fan News: https://patreon.com/DeepAstronomy to ensure you get current space & astronomy news each week! In this episode, we’ve all heard about the delays and cost overruns of NASA’s flagship observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope. It is over budget by a lot and over a decade late from its original scheduled launch date. But will congress approve the increase? What impact will these delays have on everything else NASA is trying to do? Well on casualty may be WFIRST, the follow on project to JWST. Space Fan News Theme by Stephen Dubois available for download here: http://ancienteyesmusic.com Space Fan News Background Music by Colour the Landscapes: https://colourthelandscapes.bandcamp.com/ Cool DA T-shirts: https://sfsf.shop/support-deepastronomy/

Picardo visits the Space Telescope Science Institute to learn about how Hubble and the OPAL program make images of planets. Hubble Images by NASA/ESA http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2018-29 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: http://planet.ly/ytsubscribe Follow us! Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/planetarysociety Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/exploreplanets Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/planetarysociety On the web: http://www.planetary.org ---- Join us: http://www.planetary.org/join Stay in touch with our monthly e-newsletter: http://www.planetary.org/connect About The Planetary Society: The Planetary Society has inspired millions of people to explore other worlds and seek other life. With the mission to empower the world's citizens to advance space science and exploration, its international membership makes the non-governmental Planetary Society the largest space interest group in the world. Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman founded the Planetary Society in 1980. Bill Nye, a longtime member of the Planetary Society's Board, serves as CEO.

How do planetary systems start? Webb will seek these answers.

Dr. Amber Straughn describes how the James Webb Space Telescope will reveal a part of the early universe not yet seen before. The video is available for download here: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12676 Credits Lead Producers: Sophia Roberts (AIMM) Michael McClare (KBRwyle) Cinematographer: Rob Andreoli (AIMM) John Caldwell (AIMM) Animators: Josh Masters (USRA) Brian Monroe (USRA) Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (USRA) Interviewees: Amber Straughn (NASA/GSFC)

How do we learn about a planet's atmosphere with a telescope like the James Webb Space Telescope? This animation explains the science of breaking light into "color" - spectroscopy - to study the chemical make up of the atmospheres of distant exoplanets. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and L. Hustak (STScI)

The James Webb Space Telescope will be the largest telescope ever sent into space. It is the result of efforts from NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency and will peer to the edges of the visible universe. This video highlights some of the Webb’s most impressive facts. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Sophia Roberts Music: Expanding Time and Space by Daniel jay Nielsen This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12803

Building the James Webb Space Telescope is challenging. It is NASA's most ambitious and complex space science observatory. The mission required 10 new technologies to be invented, the dedication of hundreds of scientists, engineers and technicians testing and retesting each component. It is by no means easy, but the telescope is so incredibly powerful that major findings are expected in nearly every branch of astronomy. It is worth the wait. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Producer, Writer, Editor: Sophia Roberts Videography: Sophia Roberts, Michael McClare This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12987

In this episode, the verdict is in. After reading and responding to the independent review of the James Webb Space Telescope mission, NASA announced today a new launch date and an updated cost analysis. It looks like JWST will launch on March 30, 2021 and will cost an additional billion dollars, bringing the total cost of the mission to 9.5 billion dollars. Read the Independent Review Board Report and NASA's response here: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/webb_irb_report_and_response_0.pdf Consider supporting Space Fan News: https://patreon.com/DeepAstronomy to ensure you get current space & astronomy news each week! Space Fan News Theme by Stephen Dubois available for download here: http://ancienteyesmusic.com Follow DeepAstronomy on Twitter: @DeepAstronomy

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has been delayed yet again. Gizmodo reports NASA has moved the target launch from May 2020 to March 2021. The telescope has been plagued by delays and budget increases since its inception in 1996. An independent review in April 2018 found five kinds of problems, including human errors, “embedded” problems not identified during testing, lack of experience, excessive optimism, and the system complexity. The latest delay will add $800 million to the telescope’s development cost. It is expected to launch in 2021. https://gizmodo.com/nasa-delays-james-webb-space-telescope-yet-again-commi-1827177557 http://www.wochit.com This video was produced by YT Wochit Tech using http://wochit.com

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and John Mather, senior project scientist, comment on an independent review board’s findings on the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope. Webb is now targeting March 2021 as a new launch date, after the board assessed delays in integration and testing. NASA and the board unanimously agree that Webb can still achieve mission success.

The James Webb Space Telescope will be the largest telescope ever sent into space. It is the result of efforts from NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency and will peer to the edges of the visible universe. This video highlights some of the Webb’s most impressive facts. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Sophia Roberts Music: Expanding Time and Space by Daniel jay Nielsen This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12803 If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/NASAExplorer Or subscribe to NASA’s Goddard Shorts HD Podcast: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f... Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center · Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC · Twitter http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard · Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/ · Instagram http://www.instagram.com/nasagoddard/

The Hubble Space Telescope has been in space for 28 years, producing some of the most beautiful and scientifically important images of the cosmos that humanity has ever taken. But let’s face it, Hubble is getting old, and it probably won’t be with us for too much longer. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is in the final stages of testing, and WFIRST is waiting in the wings. You’ll be glad to know there are even more space telescopes in the works, a set of four powerful instruments in design right now, which will be part of the next Decadal Survey, and helping to answer the most fundamental questions about the cosmos. Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Video Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/bh/podcast/universe-today-video/id794057165?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/video What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Support us at: http://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: http://www.universetoday.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+universetoday/ Instagram - http://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 References: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/system/downloadable_items/784_Planetary_Science_Decadal_2013-2022.pdf https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/resources/2130/coronagraph-explanation-2-minutes/ http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1417/ https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1407/new-planet-imager-delivers-first-science/ https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1404/a-four-planet-system-in-orbit-directly-imaged-and-remarkable/ https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/resources/1015/flower-power-nasa-reveals-spring-starshade-animation/ https://wwwastro.msfc.nasa.gov/lynx/ http://sci.esa.int/cosmic-vision/55111-the-hot-and-energetic-universe/ https://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/firs/ https://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/luvoir/

Consider supporting Space Fan News: https://patreon.com/DeepAstronomy to ensure you get current space & astronomy news each week! In this episode, more bad news coming out of the James Webb Space Telescope Mission, specifically, Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Redondo Beach California. Apparently stuff is falling off the sun shield and engineers are trying to figure out the cause. Link to this story: http://spacenews.com/jwst-suffers-new-problem-during-spacecraft-testing/ Space Fan News Theme by Stephen Dubois available for download here: http://ancienteyesmusic.com Space Fan News Background Music by Colour the Landscapes: https://colourthelandscapes.bandcamp.com/ Follow DeepAstronomy on Twitter: @DeepAstronomy Like DeepAstronomy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeepAstronomy/ Like Space Fan News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpaceFanNews/

The shiny, new James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch soon, but what’s going to happen to Hubble? How Big Do You Think This Spacecraft Is? Guess Again... - https://youtu.be/CRe7G7WMj0Q Read More: How Will the Hubble Space Telescope Die? https://www.space.com/29206-how-will-hubble-space-telescope-die.html “While Hubble is healthy now, the telescope — a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency — is not immortal. Serious problems could conceivably crop up in a number of different Hubble systems.” The James Webb Space Telescope Will Truly Do What Hubble Only Dreamed Of https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/01/10/the-james-webb-space-telescope-will “The James Webb Space Telescope will teach us an incredible amount about the Universe, including further details about how stars form, what the earliest stellar populations look like, will show us gas giants and rogue planets in unprecedented detail and will tell us what made up the Universe at any given time in the past.” Webb vs Hubble Telescope https://jwst.nasa.gov/comparison_about.html “Webb often gets called the replacement for Hubble, but we prefer to call it a successor. After all, Webb is the scientific successor to Hubble; its science goals were motivated by results from Hubble.” ____________________ Seeker inspires us to see the world through the lens of science and evokes a sense of curiosity, optimism and adventure. Visit the Seeker website https://www.seeker.com/videos Subscribe now! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=dnewschannel Seeker on Twitter http://twitter.com/seeker Trace Dominguez on Twitter https://twitter.com/tracedominguez Seeker on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SeekerMedia/ Seeker http://www.seeker.com/ Special thanks to Athena Brensberger for writing and hosting this episode of Seeker! Check Athena out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/astroathens

Want a TESS t-shirt and support Deep Astronomy? Go here: https://teespring.com/stores/deep-astronomy Consider supporting Space Fan News: https://patreon.com/DeepAstronomy to ensure you get current space & astronomy news each week! In this episode: NASA announced today that the James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble’s successor, is now officially the Just Wait Space Telescope: it will not launch before May 2020. Space Fan News Theme by Stephen Dubois available for download here: http://ancienteyesmusic.com Space Fan News Background Music by Colour the Landscapes: https://colourthelandscapes.bandcamp.com/ Follow DeepAstronomy on Twitter: @DeepAstronomy Like DeepAstronomy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeepAstronomy/ Like Space Fan News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpaceFanNews/

In this week's questions show, I wonder if the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to find satellites around other stars, what my favorite sci-fi FTL method is, and why can't we see Mars as a bright object in the sky? Check out Abby's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCabX4I5PLAu0I05gN0ZgrKw Sign up for my weekly email newsletter at: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Support us at: http://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: http://www.universetoday.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+universetoday/ Instagram - http://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 Disinclined Tostate Hi, Fraser! Love the channel. 🙂 Will the James Webb Telescope be able to see evidence of artificial satellites around exo-planets, should any exist? Would there be a certain size or composition requirement for JWT to spot them? And how awesome would that be?! 🙂 Matt Gibson Fraser, if you could pick any FTL travel method from any show or movie and have it be a reality and give it to humanity, which would you pick? Some examples include Elite Dangerous, Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Star Gate... ect... Cherotal Hey Fraser, I have a question about the birth of solar systems. If there is less mass in the gas cloud which collapse to a star system it will form a red or brown dwarf. Is it possible that a gas cloud with very little mass collapse and form a star system where the central body didn't light up? Will these "no-star" systems send out any radiation or light we can measure? Thanks in advance and thanks for all the great video content. Ed Chartrand I’m fascinated by the images depicted in films such as Star Wars where characters look up into space on far off planets where there are multiple moons practically filling the sky or one moon that is massively larger than what our moon appears in reality here on earth. Are these types of visuals actually possible on planets from a physics perspective? Can a moon be so close to a planet that it takes up that much of the sky and yet still have a stable orbit? Michael K I thought the ISS has some micro-meteorite protection and doesn’t just trust in pure luck? Jim Becker Fraser, I was just looking at a photo released by NASA from the Curiosity Rover which "includes Earth as the brightest point of light in the night sky". So why can we seem to be able to see Earth from Mars but can't see Mars from Earth with the same ease ?? DrewLSsix Could a hobby level astronomer benefit from combining two decent smaller telescopes to make an effectively larger binocular telescope? Like two one hundred ish mm combined into an effective two hundred ish unit? I ask because you can buy a pair of the smaller units for a couple hundred.... while a 200+mm scope is many many times more expensive! Flynn Bryant Hey Fraser, my question is, what is the criteria for questions that you answer in the comments compared to those which you select for your videos? Thanks for the tremendous effort you put in! Izuriel Palanayukei Hi Fraser! I've heard you mention books in passing before. Do you have a list of sci-fi books you recommend? Like Seveneves by Neal Stephenson or EON by Greg Bear? Big ole' sci-fi novels with or without aliens! Thanks! - Izu Scot Washburn Why couldn’t we use lasers to push the orbiting debris out of earth orbit? Seth McKay Hey Fraser! Your production schedule looks to be quite full with universe today, guide to space, Q&A, astronomy cast, etc (not to mention spending time with family). How do you organize and stay on schedule? Seems like you have would have to be really organized to stay on schedule as well as not end up working all day. I also have several different hats and need to organize better. Guest Question: Stefán Atli Þorvaldsson how can i become an astronaut if i am not from a big country like the USA, Russia or the EU

In this week's questions show, Fraser is excited to see the southern hemisphere night sky, considers how the next generation of telescopes will change our understanding of the Big Bang, and suggests what you should look at with a new telescope. Subscribe to Fraser's weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Support us at: http://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: http://www.universetoday.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+universetoday/ Instagram - http://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001

ESA's XMM-Newton has spotted surprising changes in the powerful streams of gas from two massive stars in the binary star system HD 5980. One of the two stars had a major outburst reminiscent of the 19th-century eruption of Eta Carinae, and astronomers expected that its X-ray emission would fade gently over the years. Instead, they found the pair was two and a half times brighter than a decade earlier, and its X-ray emission was even more energetic, suggesting that colliding stellar winds don’t behave as expected. Full story: Stellar winds behaving unexpectedly - http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Stellar_winds_behaving_unexpectedly Music: David Hilowitz – CC BY-NC 4.0

Engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston spun NASA's James Webb Space Telescope around like a record on Jan. 10, 2018, before orienting it in a horizontal position in preparation for its upcoming move to Northrop Grumman in California.

NASA scientists revealed a new image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope showing one of the oldest galaxies ever discovered in unprecedented detail.

Webb in Three Acts: The Telescope, The Science, The Legacy Klaus Pontoppidan, Bonnie Meinke, and Alexandra Lockwood, Space Telescope Science Institute NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is expected to launch in spring 2019 and will be the premier infrared space observatory of the next decade. It promises to observe everything from planets in our solar system to galaxies over 13 billion light years away. With the Science and Operations Center of this Great Observatory right here at the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore will continue and grow as a hub for exciting scientific discovery and innovation. Come find out about what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and who is doing it in this overview of the Webb Mission. Host: Dr. Frank Summers Recorded live on January 16, 2018 at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD USA For more information: http://hubblesite.org/about_us/public_talks/

This 360 video was taken before NASA's James Webb Space Telescope left NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in May 2017. Look around to see engineers at work inside the cleanroom, and for several plaques with information about the cleanroom and about Webb telescope!

This video provides a look back over the 10 best images Hubble released in 2017. In total ESA/Hubble released 181 images, graphs and illustrations, as well as 55 videos, supporting press releases and announcements on www.spacetelescope.org, in 2017. More information and download options: http://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/hubblecast105a/ Subscribe to Hubblecast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/hubblecast-hd/id258935617 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/hubbleesa Watch more Hubblecavideo.web_category.allst episodes: http://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/archive/category/hubblecast/ Credit: Directed by: Mathias Jäger Visual design and editing: Nico Bartmann Written by: Nicole Shearer, Mathias Jäger Footage: ESA/Hubble/JWST, NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team, ESA Music: Tim Turusov (www.turusov.com) & Johan B. Monell (www.johanmonell.com) Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen

This visualisation explores the Orion Nebula as seen in infrared-light observations from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. This video is designed to be compared and contrasted against the companion movie using visible light observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. As the camera flies into the star-forming region, it reveals a glowing gaseous landscape that has been illuminated and carved by the high-energy radiation and strong stellar winds from the massive hot stars in the central cluster. The infrared observations generally show cool temperature gas at a deep layer that shows the full bowl shape of the nebula. In addition, the infrared showcases many faint stars that shine primarily at longer wavelengths. More information and download options: http://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/hubblecast106c/ Credit: NASA, ESA, F. Summers, G. Bacon, Z. Levay, J. DePasquale, L. Hustak, M. Robberto and M. Gennaro (STScI), and R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC)

This visualisation explores the Orion Nebula as seen in visible light observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This video is designed to be compared and contrasted against the companion movie using infrared light observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope. As the camera flies into the star-forming region, it reveals a glowing gaseous landscape that has been illuminated and carved by the high-energy radiation and strong stellar winds from the massive hot stars in the central cluster. The high resolution observations show fine details including the wispy bow shocks and tadpole-shaped proplyds. More information and download options: http://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/hubblecast106b/ Credit: NASA, ESA, and F. Summers, G. Bacon, Z. Levay, J. DePasquale, L. Hustak, L. Frattare, M. Robberto (STScI), R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC) Acknowledgement: R. Gendler

Astronomers and visualisation specialists have combined visible observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope with the infrared vision of NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope to create an unprecedented, three-dimensional, fly-through of the picturesque Orion Nebula, a nearby star-forming region. The three-dimensional video takes the viewer on a breathtaking flight. It follows contours of colourful dust and gas — past newborn stars, glowing clouds heated by intense radiation, and tadpole-shaped gaseous envelopes surrounding protoplanetary disks. Hubble sees objects that glow in visible light, which are typically hotter than the objects that Spitzer is sensitive to. Spitzer’s infrared vision pierces through obscuring dust to see stars embedded deep in the nebula, as well as fainter and less massive stars, which are brighter in infrared light than in visible. The new visualisation demonstrates how two telescopes can work together to provide a more complex and complete picture of an astronomical object. More information and download options: http://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/hubblecast106e/ Credit: NASA, ESA, F. Summers, G. Bacon, Z. Levay, J. DePasquale, L. Frattare, M. Robberto (STScI), R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC), A. Fujii, and M. Kornmesser (ESA/Hubble) Acknowledgement: R. Gendler

Consider supporting Space Fan News: https://patreon.com/DeepAstronomy to ensure you get current space & astronomy news each week! As many of you know who’ve been following SFN for a while know that this video series was started in January 2011 during the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Well this week finished the one for 2018 and here is a roundup of stories I found most interesting. The people with the American Astronomical Society call their winter meeting the Superbowl of Astronomy and while that may be a bit hyperbolic, it is an exciting time for astronomers. They get to announce some of their most exciting work during this meeting and while I have been to several, lately I’ve had to watch them from afar. But I do hope to start live streaming from them again one day. So in the spirit of SFN, I’m going to give you a brief roundup of some of the latest research that came out this week from the world of professional astronomers from around the world. There was so much released this week that there is no way I can cover all of it in a 10 minute or so video, so I’m keeping it to those things I found most interesting. Links to the stories: http://news.fnal.gov/2018/01/dark-energy-survey-publicly-releases-first-three-years-of-data/ https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/webb-telescope-s-houston-highlights https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2018-004 http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2018-04 http://www.caltech.edu/news/citizen-scientists-discover-five-planet-system-80989 Exoplanet Explorers: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/ianc2/exoplanet-explorers Space Fan News Theme by Stephen Dubois available for download here: http://ancienteyesmusic.com Space Fan News Background Music by Colour the Landscapes: https://colourthelandscapes.bandcamp.com/ Follow DeepAstronomy on Twitter: @DeepAstronomy Like DeepAstronomy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeepAstronomy/ Like Space Fan News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpaceFanNews/

Members of the media were invited to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Jan. 10, to hear about the results of recent cryogenic vacuum tests on the James Webb Space Telescope, and the next steps on the observatory’s path to space. Webb was tested as a complete optical system in Chamber A at Johnson, which mimics the space environment the telescope will experience during its mission. Built in 1965 to conduct thermal-vacuum testing on the Apollo command and service modules, Chamber A is the largest structure of its kind in the world and is a listed National Historic Landmark. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier infrared space observatory of the next decade. Webb will help to solve mysteries of our solar system, look to distant worlds orbiting other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, the ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency. This video is available for download from NASA's Image and Video Library: https://images.nasa.gov/details-NHQ_2018_0110_%20NASA%20Discusses%20Recent%20Testing%20of%20the%20James%20Webb%20Space%20Telescope.html

The Spektr-UV, also known as World Space Observatory-Ultraviolet (WSO-UV), is a proposed space telescope intended for work in the 110 nm to 320 nm wavelength range. Launch date estimate is 2021. This international project is led by Russia (Roskosmos). At present the international cooperation includes three basic participants: Russia ( will provide the telescope, spacecraft, launch facilities, ground segment); Spain (ISSIS, ground segment); Germany (spectrographs). Ukraine and Kazakhstan also participate the project.

A new project using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes allows people to navigate through real data of the remains of an exploded star for the first time. This three-dimensional virtual reality (VR) project with augmented reality (AR) allows users to explore inside the debris from actual observations of the supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A. Cassiopeia A (Cas A, for short) is the debris field of a massive star that blew itself apart over 340 years ago. The new 3D VR/AR project of Cas A is a collaboration between the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Mass., and Brown University's Center for Computation and Visualization in Providence, RI, and will provide new opportunities for public communications, informal education, and research. "The stars are much too far away to touch, but this project will let experts and non-experts — at least virtually — walk among one of the most famous supernova remnants in our sky," said Kimberly Arcand, Visualization Lead at the Chandra X-ray Center. VR is computer technology that simulates a user's physical presence in a virtual environment. AR adds elements, such as text, overlays and audio, to enhance that experience with sensory input. Chandra has repeatedly observed Cas A since the telescope was launched into space in 1999. Each exposure has added new and important data to the growing bank of information that astronomers use to study this object. This deep reservoir of data has allowed astronomers and visualization specialists to take the Cas A far beyond the two-dimensional imagery that exists for most astronomical objects. In 2009, a team of scientists, including astrophysicist Tracy Delaney (then of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and visualization experts used data from Chandra, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and ground-based optical facilities to generate a three-dimensional (3D) digital model of Cas A, the first ever of a supernova remnant. In 2013, a team of data specialists translated that into the first 3D print of a supernova remnant. "As technology has advanced in the VR and AR realms in recent years, we realized that we could go further with the 3D Cas A model," said Arcand. "Instead of us telling people where to look in Cas A, this project lets them decide for themselves." "The visualization of the Cas A supernova remnant took years to put together, and it deserves a magnificent way to experience it," said Tom Sgouros of Brown's Virtual Reality Lab. "Short of creating a building-size replica of the data, we think virtual reality is the best way to do that." The 3D visualization and VR/AR may also pay scientific dividends as well. It shows that there are two main components to this supernova remnant: a spherical component in the outer parts of the remnant and a flattened (disk-like) component in the inner region. The insight into the structure of Cas A gained from the 3D visualization is important for astronomers who build models of supernova explosions. The VR project is being made available in an open access format suitable for VR caves or "Yurts," as well as on the Oculus Rift platform. Please contact Kimberly Kowal Arcand (kkowal "at" cfa.harvard.edu) for more information on accessing those files. The project coordinators plan for a Google Cardboard version in future iterations. Additional data-driven 3D astronomical objects are also in the works for the Chandra VR/AR experience. More information on Cas A in VR is available at http://chandra.si.edu/vr. For access to non-VR versions, the Smithsonian Learning Lab has created an interactive 3D application for the 3D Cas A with related resources and activities. Visit http://s.si.edu/cas-a

Spektr-RG is an upcoming international high-energy astrophysics observatory, which is being built under the leadership of the Russian Space Research Institute (IKI). Spektr-RG instrumentation includes 5 telescopes spanning the energy range from the far ultraviolet to the hard X-ray. Subscribe for more Space wonders on ΥουΤυbe: https://tinyurl.com/SpaceTelescopesYouTube

“Millimetron” observatory (“Spektr-M”) is a 10-meter space telescope designed to study various objects in the Universe at millimeter and infrared wavelengths from 0.02 to 17 mm. The observatory has two operational modes – the single-dish and Space-Earth interferometer modes. In the first mode observations are carried out with maximum sensitivity, which can be achieved using the on-board detectors of radiation from space objects. The second mode is aimed to solve scientific problems that require ultra-high resolution, up to tens of billionths of a second of arc. High sensitivity is achieved by deep cooling of the telescope mirror system and on-board scientific payload. While, high angular resolution is provided by the orbit configuration. The observatory is located near the Lagrange point L2, located at 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in the anti-solar direction.

On December 6, 2017, the House Subcommittee on Space held a hearing titled, "NASA’s Next Four Large Telescopes." Invited witnesses were: Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Ms. Cristina Chaplain Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management, Government Accountability Office Mr. A. Thomas Young Former Director, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, and former president and chief operating officer, Martin Marietta Corporation Dr. Matt Mountain President, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Dr. Chris McKee Professor Emeritus of Astronomy, Physics, University of California, Berkeley, on behalf of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine The event was webcast live and is in the public domain. The event's web page is: https://science.house.gov/legislation/hearings/subcommittee-space-hearing-nasa-s-next-four-large-telescopes We're on Twitter at @WordsmithFL.

P. Ferruit - ESA In anticipation of the first JWST Call for proposals in late November 2017, the European Space Agency is organizing a series of workshops to engage and inform the astronomical community. The first workshop held at ESA's European Space Astonomy Centre (ESAC) in Madid, Spain, 4-6 October 2017, showcased the capabilities of the JWST science instruments, their observing modes and expected in-orbit performance. The main goal of this second workshop was to provide ample hands-on experience with the various tools supporting preparation and submission of proposals. Among them the Target Visibility Tool, the Exposure Time Calculator and the Astronomy Proposal tool (APT).

D. Karakla - STScI In anticipation of the first JWST Call for proposals in late November 2017, the European Space Agency is organizing a series of workshops to engage and inform the astronomical community. The first workshop held at ESA's European Space Astonomy Centre (ESAC) in Madid, Spain, 4-6 October 2017, showcased the capabilities of the JWST science instruments, their observing modes and expected in-orbit performance. The main goal of this second workshop was to provide ample hands-on experience with the various tools supporting preparation and submission of proposals. Among them the Target Visibility Tool, the Exposure Time Calculator and the Astronomy Proposal tool (APT).

Spektr-R (or RadioAstron) is a Russian scientific satellite with a 10m radio telescope on board. It was launched on 18 July 2011, by Zenit-3F launcher, from Baikonur Cosmodrome to perform research on the structure and dynamics of radio sources within and beyond our galaxy. Together with some of the largest ground-based radio telescopes, this telescope forms interferometric baselines extending up to 350 000 km Subscribe for more Space wonders on ΥουΤυbe: https://tinyurl.com/SpaceTelescopesYouTube

The starshade (also known as an external occulter) is a spacecraft that will enable telescopes in space to take pictures of planets orbiting faraway stars. The starshade is designed to fly in front of a telescope and block the immense glare from a star’s light before it enters the telescope, allowing the planet’s reflected light to pass through and be collected. Models predict the starshade can achieve the required 10-10 contrast levels required to detect Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of their stars. To successfully achieve starlight blocking, the starshade must unfurl and expand in space to almost the size of a baseball diamond (34 m diameter). The starshade’s razor-sharp petals redirect the effects of diffraction—the bending of starlight around the petal edges producing unwanted glare—and create a dark shadow for the trailing telescope to fly in. The starshade and telescope are separated by as much as 50,000 km—almost four Earth diameters.

Many people familiar with space exploration know about the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble has enabled us to peer into neighboring solar systems, while also helping us map out our universe. With the creation of the James Webb Space Telescope, it looks like the Hubble won’t be alone in pursuing that task. Watch to learn more. Follow Me: https://twitter.com/CatechismYT Feel Free to Donate: https://www.patreon.com/Catechism If you enjoyed the video please hit that like button. Also, remember to subscribe for more videos just like this one. Sources: https://www.space.com/21925-james-webb-space-telescope-jwst.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/04/05/how-much-gold-is-in-the-james-webb-space-telescope/#775a350969e5 https://jwst.nasa.gov/public.html Background Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifboMY8ezgA Images: https://nai.nasa.gov/articles/2016/6/30/where-is-the-habitable-zone-for-m-dwarf-stars/ https://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/pages.ashx/643/James%20Webb%20Space%20Telescope%20primary%20mirror%20prepared%20for%20testing https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Webb_Space_Telescope_(14742910940).jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ESO-Infrared_Halo_Frames_Newborn_Star-phot-26a-03-normal.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SDSS_spectrograph_cartridge.JPG https://www.nasa.gov/images/content/482511main_jwst_lg.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schematic_diagram_of_the_history_of_the_Universe.jpg https://www.nasa.gov/images/content/103885main_image_feature_241_jwmodel.jpg https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/spitzer/20140129/spitzer20140129-full.jpg https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/news_items/main_images/194_485059main_GJ581g_FNLa_full.jpg https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/news_items/main_images/123_ssc2009-09b_Sm.jpg https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/news_items/main_images/191_astrobio_award.jpg https://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/Images/jwst_20170515_1.jpg https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/news_items/main_images/207_EarthlikeExoplanets_0722sm.jpg

Several mission concepts are being studied to directly image planets around nearby stars. The search for another Earth-like planet (exo-Earth) and extraterrestrial life is one of the most fundamental, grand, and noble pursuits not just in astronomy, but in all of science. The discovery of a true exo-Earth is likely to be hailed as a major milestone of our civilization, on par with the landings on the Moon and humanity’s first steps in space. In the 2020s, the WFIRST-AFTA, or one of Exo-C or Exo-S may directly image a few potentially habitable worlds. Ultimately, a large space based coronagraphic telescope like LUVOIR or HabEx will have the ability to search hundreds of stars for potentially habitable worlds and take spectra with enough resolution to detect biomarkers like oxygen and water. Exo-C will be a space telescope designed to directly image and spectrally characterize exoplanets and circumstellar disks at optical wavelengths. The mission employs an internal coronagraph with precision wavefront control to study nearby, known exoplanets detected by ground-based radial velocity and new discoveries of exoplanets down to super-Earth size. It will resolve structures and measure dust properties in a large sample of exo-Kuiper belts and a smaller sample of habitable zones. It has the potential to detect Earth-twins if they are present around a few of the nearest stars, if the exozodi is low and if exceptional telescope stability is achieved. Exo-S is a direct imaging space-based mission to discover and characterize exoplanets. With its modest size, Exo-S bridges the gap between census missions like Kepler and a future spacebased flagship direct imaging exoplanet mission Subscribe for more Space wonders on ΥουΤυbe: https://tinyurl.com/SpaceTelescopesYouTube

About 1 million miles away from the nearest eye surgeon, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will be able to perfect its own vision while in orbit. Though the Webb telescope will focus on stars and galaxies approximately 13.5 billion light-years away, its sight goes through a similar process as you would if you underwent laser vision correction surgery to be able to focus on an object 10 feet across the room. In orbit at Earth’s second Lagrange point (L2), far from the help of a terrestrial doctor, Webb will use its near-infrared camera (NIRCam) instrument to help align its primary mirror segments about 40 days after launch, once they have unfolded from their unaligned stowed position and cooled to their operating temperatures. Laser vision correction surgery reshapes the cornea of the eye to remove imperfections that cause vision problems like nearsightedness. The cornea is the surface of the eye; it helps focus rays of light on the retina at the back of the eye, and though it appears to be uniform and smooth, it can be misshapen and pockmarked with dents, dimples, and other imperfections that can affect a person’s sight. The relative positioning of Webb’s primary mirror segments after launch will be the equivalent of these corneal imperfections, and engineers on Earth will need to make corrections to the mirrors’ positions to bring them into alignment, ensuring they will produce sharp, focused images. Read more: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/james-webb-space-telescope-s-laser-focused-sight Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center: Eric Villard (InuTec, LLC): Writer Michael McClare (KBRwyle): Producer Michael P. Menzel (AIMM): Producer Michael P. Menzel (AIMM): Video Editor This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12753 If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/NASAExplorer Or subscribe to NASA’s Goddard Shorts HD Podcast: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f0004_index.html Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC · Twitter https://twitter.com/NASAGoddard · Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/ · Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nasagoddard/ · Google+ https://plus.google.com/+NASAGoddard/posts

Dr. Stefanie Milam, the JWST Deputy Project Scientist for Planetary Science at NASA, presents on the James Webb Space Telescope. Dr. Milam's Bio: https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sed/bio/stefanie.n.milam JWST Links: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. How was that mission chosen over all the others? NASA has begun four concept studies of exciting major space observatories that could launch sometime in the coming couple decades. Who will determine what astronomy science goals will be the highest priorities for the 2020s? How is this done and how are the missions chosen to achieve those goals? Please join our regular hosts, Tony Darnell, Alberto Conti, and Harley Thronson, as they discuss with Drs. John O’Meara (Saint Michael’s College) and Joel Parriott and Ashlee Wilkins (both at the American Astronomical Society) which among many alternatives the most exciting science and most capable space astronomy missions are identified and, eventually, chosen.

It has been only forty years since humanity has known the existence of the strange and dynamic x-ray universe, an invisible universe of million degree gas, immense jets of radiation, exploding stars and distant quasars. Join Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek's Lt. Uhura, as she guides you on the decades long odyssey to reveal this wondrous universe with NASA's largest X-ray telescope. Credit: NASA Follow Us: Facebook: https://goo.gl/QapZAe Twitter: https://goo.gl/RoQSmJ

Consider supporting Space Fan News: https://patreon.com/DeepAstronomy to ensure you get current space & astronomy news each week! Looks like the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope will be delayed for 5-8 months. As sad as that makes me, I'm ok with it if it means a successful launch and mission. There's also news from LIGO and Virgo as it detects another black hole merger. The Parker Solar Probe will also launch next year and there's an update on the amazing new heat shield that will protect the spacecraft from the Sun. Finally, the European Space Agency's Rosetta Spacecraft to the comet 67p sends back a surprise image. Here are the links to this week's stories: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-james-webb-space-telescope-to-be-launched-spring-2019 https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/news/ligo20170927 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/parker-solar-probe-gets-its-revolutionary-heat-shield http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/59618-unexpected-surprise-a-final-image-from-rosetta/ Space Fan News Theme by Stephen Dubois available for download here: http://ancienteyesmusic.com Follow DeepAstronomy on Twitter: @DeepAstronomy Like DeepAstronomy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeepAstronomy/ Like Space Fan News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpaceFanNews/ Follow DeepAstronomy on Google+ http://google.com/+DeepAstronomy http://google.com/+TonyDarnell We also have a great Google+ Community, come share your thoughts and join the discussion! https://plus.google.com/communities/109849939648748938781t

This visualization traverses the CANDELS Ultra Deep Survey (UDS) field to showcase the varied appearances of galaxies and their three-dimensional distribution. The sequence features a dense cluster of galaxies about 6 billion light-years away and extends to galaxies at more than twice that distance. Because the light from these galaxies has travelled for billions of years across space, the images show the galaxies as they appeared billions of years ago. In addition, the expansion of space has redshifted the light of these galaxies toward longer wavelengths (i.e., to the red end of the visible-light region and into the infrared-light region). The changes seen in galaxies during the fly-through illustrate the changes in galaxy structure and appearance over billions of years of cosmic history. CANDELS is an acronym for the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey project. One of the largest projects ever done with the Hubble Space Telescope, CANDELS surveyed five fields to study the development of galaxies over time. The CANDELS observations of the UDS field complement ground-based observations from the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. Astronomers and visual artists extracted over 26,000 galaxies from the Hubble UDS images and created a computer model based on the measured and estimated properties. Note that the distances used in the visualization are significantly compressed for cinematic purposes. Credits: NASA, ESA, F. Summers, J. DePasquale, G. Bacon, and Z. Levay (STScI) Acknowledgement: H. Ferguson, A. Koekemoer, and the CANDELS Team Music: "Rotisserie Graveyard" by Doctor Turtle CC BY 4.0 Download movie files at: http://hubblesite.org/video/984/science

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observed the farthest-discovered active inbound comet, Comet K2. K2 came from the distant Oort Cloud and is visiting our inner solar system for the first (and only) time. Since we're seeing it so far away, past the orbit of Saturn, K2 is still in its early phase of activity, likely making it the most primitive comet anyone has ever seen. Read the web story https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/hubble-observes-the-farthest-active-inbound-comet-yet-seen/ This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12724 Read the science paper here: https://media.stsci.edu/preview/file/science_paper/file_attachment/262/Jewitt_Comet_K2_paper_9-26-17.pdf Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Katrina Jackson Music credit: "Space Cake" by Donn Wilerson [BMI] and Lance Sumner [BMI]; Killer Tracks BMI; Killer Tracks Production Music. Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC · Twitter https://twitter.com/NASAGoddard · Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/ · Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nasagoddard/ · Google+ https://plus.google.com/+NASAGoddard/

Engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston used light waves to align the James Webb Space Telescope’s mirror segments to each other, so they act like a single, monolithic mirror in the cryogenic cold of the center’s iconic Chamber A. Part of the Webb telescope’s ongoing cryogenic testing in Chamber A at Johnson includes aligning, or “phasing,” the telescope’s 18 hexagonally shaped primary mirror segments so they function as a single 6.5-meter mirror. All of these segments must have the correct position and correct curvature; otherwise, the telescope will not be able to accurately focus on its celestial targets. To measure the shape of the Webb telescope’s primary mirror, engineers use a test device called an interferometer, which shines a laser down onto the mirror. Because the mirror is segmented, it requires a specially designed interferometer, known as a multi-wavelength interferometer, which allows the engineers to use two light waves at once, explained Lee Feinberg, optical telescope element manager for the Webb telescope at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The interferometer splits the laser light into two separate waves. One of these waves goes through a lens and reflects off the primary mirror; the other wave acts as a reference. The reflected wave interferes with (meets) the reference wave, and engineers analyze the combined wave that results from that interference. “By analyzing the interference signal, engineers determine the mirror shape and the alignment of the mirrors,” explained Feinberg. When the engineers need to adjust the positions and shapes of the mirror segments to achieve precise alignment, they use the seven actuators (tiny mechanical motors) attached to the back of each one of the mirror segments. For each segment, six of these actuators are placed into groups of two, at three equally spaced points along the outside of the mirror (to adjust the segment’s position), and one is attached to six struts that are connected to each of the hexagonal mirror segment’s corners (to adjust the segment’s shape). More James Webb Space Telescope videos at http://www.spacetv.net/james-webb-space-telescope/ Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

In this week’s question show, Fraser explains why James Webb can’t be repaired if anything goes wrong, why we even need space telescopes in the first place, and his favorite methods of zipping around the Solar System. Support us at: http://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: http://www.universetoday.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+universetoday/ Instagram - http://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEIt... Chad Weber - [email protected] Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001

As astronomers discover more planets outside the Solar System, they are examining what conditions can foster or stifle the habitability of planets. A new study suggests that X-rays emitted by a planet's host star may provide critical clues to just how hospitable a star system could be. A team of researchers used data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA's XMM-Newton to look at the X-ray brightness of 24 stars with masses similar to the Sun that were at least a billion years old. Since stellar X-rays mirror magnetic activity, X-ray observations can tell astronomers about the high-energy environment around the star. In the new study the X-ray data from Chandra and XMM-Newton revealed that stars like the Sun and their less massive cousins calm down surprisingly quickly after a turbulent youth. This is good news for the future habitability of planets orbiting Sun-like stars, because the amount of harmful X-rays and ultraviolet radiation from stellar flares striking planets in orbit around them would be less than scientists used to think. Astronomers will continue to look at many factors that they think play into the habitability of planets around the thousands of exoplanets that have been discovered. Studies like these show that X-rays can play a critical role in the ultimate question of where life might exist elsewhere in the Universe.