James Webb Space Telescope

# Exploring Cosmic Wonders: Latest Discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope - Cosmic Roundup PodcastJoin host "The Space Cowboy" as he unveils groundbreaking discoveries from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in this captivating episode of Cosmic Roundup. Learn about the stunning planetary nebula NGC 1514, the most distant spiral galaxy ever discovered (nicknamed "Dragon Galaxy"), and Neptune's magnificent auroras captured in unprecedented detail. The episode features exciting revelations about early galaxy rotation patterns that challenge our understanding of cosmic origins, plus direct images of multiple gas giants in the HR 8799 system. Discover how Webb is revolutionizing astronomy by observing star formation, tracking potentially hazardous asteroids, and searching for biosignatures on exoplanets. Perfect for astronomy enthusiasts, science lovers, and anyone fascinated by the mysteries of our universe, this comprehensive roundup showcases how Webb's infrared vision is transforming our understanding of cosmic evolution and our place in the universe.

# Journey Through the Cosmos: James Webb Space Telescope's Groundbreaking DiscoveriesExplore the awe-inspiring revelations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in this captivating episode of "Cosmic Horizons" with The Space Cowboy. Discover the unprecedented details of NGC 1514, a dying star ejecting intricate rings of gas and dust captured by Webb's MIRI instrument. Learn about the first-ever observation of a star consuming a Jupiter-sized planet and what this means for our own solar system's distant future. The episode also covers Webb's groundbreaking thermal detection of rocky exoplanet Trappist 1b, opening new possibilities for discovering potential extraterrestrial civilizations. Join us as we examine these astronomical breakthroughs while discussing the telescope's uncertain funding future despite its remarkable scientific contributions. Perfect for astronomy enthusiasts, space exploration fans, and anyone fascinated by our cosmic neighborhood.

# Exploring the Cosmos: Latest James Webb Space Telescope Discoveries with The Space CowboyJourney through the universe's most fascinating recent discoveries in this captivating episode of Cosmic Frontiers. Join The Space Cowboy as he breaks down groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope observations that are revolutionizing our understanding of space.Discover the unprecedented footage of a planet being slowly consumed by its star—not in one gulp as previously thought, but in a millions-of-years death spiral that's forcing scientists to reconsider our own solar system's fate. Learn about early galaxies with synchronized rotation patterns that suggest our universe itself might have been born spinning, potentially supporting mind-bending theories about cosmic origins.The episode also covers Webb's stunning revelations about unexpectedly bright hydrogen emissions from ancient galaxies, Neptune's magnificent auroras, dramatic protostellar jets, and detailed measurements of the scorching exoplanet Trappist-1b. Perfect for astronomy enthusiasts, science lovers, and anyone fascinated by the mysteries of our universe, this accessible deep dive into cosmic wonders will expand your perspective on space exploration and what Webb's revolutionary technology continues to unveil about our cosmic neighborhood.

# James Webb Space Telescope Uncovers Cosmic Mysteries: From Asteroids to Universe OriginsDive into the latest discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope in this eye-opening episode of The Space Cowboy podcast. Learn how Webb's advanced instruments revealed surprising details about asteroid 2024 YR4, including its rocky surface and rapid spin rate – crucial knowledge for future planetary defense efforts.Journey 130 light-years away to the HR 8799 star system, where Webb directly detected carbon dioxide in the atmospheres of four exoplanets for the first time, revolutionizing our understanding of planetary formation. Then explore Webb's most mind-bending discovery yet: evidence that galaxies throughout the universe may rotate in a preferred direction, challenging fundamental cosmological theories and suggesting our universe might have been born rotating.From investigating why few stars form in the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone to showcasing Webb's unprecedented infrared capabilities, this episode highlights how this remarkable telescope continues to transform our understanding of the cosmos and push the boundaries of astronomical discovery.

# Discover the Universe's Earliest Secrets with The Space Cowboy PodcastJourney through cosmic frontiers with The Space Cowboy as he unpacks groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope discoveries in this captivating episode. Learn about JADES GS z13-1, an unexpectedly bright early universe galaxy challenging our understanding of cosmic evolution just 330 million years after the Big Bang.Explore our solar system's hidden wonders, from Neptune's newly discovered auroras to the HR 8799 planetary system where Webb has detected carbon dioxide, water, and methane in exoplanet atmospheres—potential signatures of life. The episode reveals how massive planets like WD 1856 b surprisingly orbit ancient stars, defying conventional formation theories.Dive into trans-Neptunian objects—cosmic time capsules preserving our solar system's history—and understand how Webb is addressing the Hubble tension mystery. Perfect for astronomy enthusiasts, space exploration fans, and anyone curious about our cosmic origins and humanity's place in the universe.

# Exploring Cosmic Wonders: The James Webb Space Telescope's Revolutionary DiscoveriesJourney through the stars with The Space Cowboy as this captivating podcast episode unveils the James Webb Space Telescope's most groundbreaking discoveries. From the puzzling JADES-GS-z13-1 galaxy that's clearing cosmic fog just 330 million years after the Big Bang to the unexpected revelation that most galaxies spin in the same direction, this episode delivers astronomical insights with down-to-earth charm.Discover Webb's first-ever direct observation of carbon dioxide in exoplanet atmospheres, the mysterious weather patterns of free-floating planetary object SIMP 0136, and stunning flares from our Milky Way's central black hole. The episode also showcases Webb's breathtaking imagery of star formation in Herbig-Haro 49/50 and explores how massive early galaxies like JADES-GS-z7-0 are revolutionizing our understanding of cosmic evolution.Perfect for space enthusiasts, astronomy buffs, and anyone fascinated by our universe's deepest mysteries, this episode combines cutting-edge science with accessible storytelling that will leave you stargazing with newfound wonder.

# Journey Through the Cosmos with The Space Cowboy: Webb Telescope Reveals Black Hole Universe TheoryExplore the latest groundbreaking discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope in this captivating episode of The Space Cowboy podcast. Discover the surprising pattern of galaxy rotation that has astronomers questioning whether our universe exists inside a black hole. With approximately two-thirds of observed galaxies spinning clockwise, this cosmic mystery challenges our understanding of universal formation.Delve into Webb's observation of ancient galaxy JADES-GS-z13-1, visible from when the universe was merely 330 million years old, emitting unexpected Lyman-alpha radiation that shouldn't be detectable through the early universe's hydrogen fog. Could this reveal the presence of the universe's first supermassive black holes or massive stars?The episode also explores Webb's groundbreaking direct imaging of exoplanets in the HR 8799 system, where carbon dioxide detection demonstrates the telescope's potential for identifying biomarkers on potentially habitable worlds. Plus, witness the spectacular "cosmic tornado" of Herbig-Haro 49/50, showcasing star formation in unprecedented detail.Join The Space Cowboy for an accessible, entertaining journey through astronomy's newest frontiers and discover how these cosmic revelations might reshape our understanding of the universe and our place within it.

Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have finally confirmed what models have previously predicted: An exoplanet has differences between its eternal morning and eternal evening atmosphere. WASP-39 b, a giant planet with a diameter 1.3 times greater than Jupiter, but similar mass to Saturn that orbits a star about 700 light-years away from Earth, is tidally locked to its parent star. This means it has a constant dayside and a constant nightside—one side of the planet is always exposed to its star, while the other is always shrouded in darkness.Using Webb’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph), astronomers confirmed a temperature difference between the eternal morning and eternal evening on WASP-39 b, with the evening appearing hotter by roughly 300 Fahrenheit degrees (about 200 Celsius degrees). They also found evidence for different cloud cover, with the forever morning portion of the planet being likely cloudier than the evening.Astronomers analyzed the 2- to 5-micron transmission spectrum of WASP-39 b, a technique that studies the exoplanet’s terminator, the boundary that separates the planet’s dayside and nightside. A transmission spectrum is made by comparing starlight filtered through a planet’s atmosphere as it moves in front of the star, to the unfiltered starlight detected when the planet is beside the star. When making that comparison, researchers can get information about the temperature, composition, and other properties of the planet’s atmosphere.“WASP-39 b has become a sort of benchmark planet in studying the atmosphere of exoplanets with Webb,” said Néstor Espinoza, an exoplanet researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute and lead author on the study. “It has an inflated, puffy atmosphere, so the signal coming from starlight filtered through the planet’s atmosphere is quite strong.”Previously published Webb spectra of WASP-39b’s atmosphere, which revealed the presence of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, water vapor, and sodium, represent the entire day/night boundary – there was no detailed attempt to differentiate between one side and the other.Now, the new analysis builds two different spectra from the terminator region, essentially splitting the day/night boundary into two semicircles, one from the evening, and the other from the morning. Data reveals the evening as significantly hotter, a searing 1,450 degrees Fahrenheit (800 degrees Celsius), and the morning a relatively cooler 1,150 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius).“It’s really stunning that we are able to parse this small difference out, and it’s only possible due Webb’s sensitivity across near-infrared wavelengths and its extremely stable photometric sensors,” said Espinoza. “Any tiny movement in the instrument or with the observatory while collecting data would have severely limited our ability to make this detection. It must be extraordinarily precise, and Webb is just that.”Extensive modeling of the data obtained also allows researchers to investigate the structure of WASP-39 b’s atmosphere, the cloud cover, and why the evening is hotter. While future work by the team will study how the cloud cover may affect temperature, and vice versa, astronomers confirmed gas circulation around the planet as the main culprit of the temperature difference on WASP-39 b.On a highly irradiated exoplanet like WASP-39 b that orbits relatively close to its star, researchers generally expect the gas to be moving as the planet rotates around its star: Hotter gas from the dayside should move through the evening to the nightside via a powerful equatorial jet stream. Since the temperature difference is so extreme, the air pressure difference would also be significant, which in turn would cause high wind speeds.Using General Circulation Models, 3-dimensional models similar to the ones used to predict weather patterns on Earth, researchers found that on WASP-39 b the prevailing winds are likely moving from the night side across the morning terminator, around the dayside, across the evening terminator and then around the nightside. As a result, the morning side of the terminator is cooler than the evening side. In other words, the morning side gets slammed with winds of air that have been cooled on the nightside, while the evening is hit by winds of air heated on the dayside. Research suggests the wind speeds on WASP-39 b can reach thousands of miles an hour!“This analysis is also particularly interesting because you’re getting 3D information on the planet that you weren’t getting before,” added Espinoza. “Because we can tell that the evening edge is hotter, that means it’s a little puffier. So, theoretically, there is a small swell at the terminator approaching the nightside of the planet.”The team’s results have been published in Nature.The researchers will now look to use the same method of analysis to study atmospheric differences of other tidally locked hot Jupiters, as part of Webb Cycle 2 General Observers Program 3969.WASP-39 b was among the first targets analyzed by Webb as it began regular science operations in 2022. The data in this study was collected under Early Release Science program 1366, designed to help scientists quickly learn how to use the telescope’s instruments and realize its full science potential.

Researchers analyzing data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have pinpointed three galaxies that may be actively forming when the universe was only 400 to 600 million years old. Webb’s data shows these galaxies are surrounded by gas that the researchers suspect to be almost purely hydrogen and helium, the earliest elements to exist in the cosmos. Webb’s instruments are so sensitive that they were able to detect an unusual amount of dense gas surrounding these galaxies. This gas will likely end up fueling the formation of new stars in the galaxies.“These galaxies are like sparkling islands in a sea of otherwise neutral, opaque gas,” explained Kasper Heintz, the lead author and an assistant professor of astrophysics at the Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. “Without Webb, we would not be able to observe these very early galaxies, let alone learn so much about their formation.”“We’re moving away from a picture of galaxies as isolated ecosystems. At this stage in the history of the universe, galaxies are all intimately connected to the intergalactic medium with its filaments and structures of pristine gas,” added Simone Nielsen, a co-author and PhD student also based at DAWN.The universe was a very different place several hundred million years after the big bang during a period known as the Era of Reionization. Gas between stars and galaxies was largely opaque. Gas throughout the universe only became fully transparent around 1 billion years after the big bang. Galaxies’ stars contributed to heating and ionizing the gas around them, causing the gas to eventually become completely transparent.By matching Webb’s data to models of star formation, the researchers also found that these galaxies primarily have populations of young stars. “The fact that we are seeing large gas reservoirs also suggests that the galaxies have not had enough time to form most of their stars yet,” Watson added.This is Only the StartWebb is not only meeting the mission goals that drove its development and launch – it is exceeding them. “Images and data of these distant galaxies were impossible to obtain before Webb,” explained Gabriel Brammer, a co-author and associate professor at DAWN. “Plus, we had a good sense of what we were going to find when we first glimpsed the data – we were almost making discoveries by eye.”There remain many more questions to address. Where, specifically, is the gas? How much is located near the centers of the galaxies – or in their outskirts? Is the gas pristine or already populated by heavier elements? Significant research lies ahead. “The next step is to build large statistical samples of galaxies and quantify the prevalence and prominence of their features in detail,” Heintz said.The researchers’ findings were possible thanks to Webb’s Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey, which includes spectra of distant galaxies from the telescope’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph), and was released immediately to support discoveries like this as part of Webb’s Early Release Science (ERS) program.

An international team of researchers has successfully used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to map the weather on the hot gas-giant exoplanet WASP-43 b.Precise brightness measurements over a broad spectrum of mid-infrared light, combined with 3D climate models and previous observations from other telescopes, suggest the presence of thick, high clouds covering the nightside, clear skies on the dayside, and equatorial winds upwards of 5,000 miles per hour mixing atmospheric gases around the planet.The investigation is just the latest demonstration of the exoplanet science now possible with Webb’s extraordinary ability to measure temperature variations and detect atmospheric gases trillions of miles away.WASP-43 b is a “hot Jupiter” type of exoplanet: similar in size to Jupiter, made primarily of hydrogen and helium, and much hotter than any of the giant planets in our own solar system. Although its star is smaller and cooler than the Sun, WASP-43 b orbits at a distance of just 1.3 million miles – less than 1/25th the distance between Mercury and the Sun.With such a tight orbit, the planet is tidally locked, with one side continuously illuminated and the other in permanent darkness. Although the nightside never receives any direct radiation from the star, strong eastward winds transport heat around from the dayside.Since its discovery in 2011, WASP-43 b has been observed with numerous telescopes, including NASA’s Hubble and now-retired Spitzer space telescopes.“With Hubble, we could clearly see that there is water vapor on the dayside. Both Hubble and Spitzer suggested there might be clouds on the nightside,” explained Taylor Bell, researcher from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute and lead author of a study published today in Nature Astronomy. “But we needed more precise measurements from Webb to really begin mapping the temperature, cloud cover, winds, and more detailed atmospheric composition all the way around the planet.”Although WASP-43 b is too small, dim, and close to its star for a telescope to see directly, its short orbital period of just 19.5 hours makes it ideal for phase curve spectroscopy, a technique that involves measuring tiny changes in brightness of the star-planet system as the planet orbits the star.Since the amount of mid-infrared light given off by an object depends largely on how hot it is, the brightness data captured by Webb can then be used to calculate the planet’s temperature.The broad spectrum of mid-infrared light captured by Webb also made it possible to measure the amount of water vapor (H2O) and methane (CH4) around the planet. “Webb has given us an opportunity to figure out exactly which molecules we’re seeing and put some limits on the abundances,” said Joanna Barstow, a co-author from the Open University in the U.K.The spectra show clear signs of water vapor on the nightside as well as the dayside of the planet, providing additional information about how thick the clouds are and how high they extend in the atmosphere.  Surprisingly, the data also shows a distinct lack of methane anywhere in the atmosphere. Although the dayside is too hot for methane to exist (most of the carbon should be in the form of carbon monoxide), methane should be stable and detectable on the cooler nightside.“The fact that we don't see methane tells us that WASP-43b must have wind speeds reaching something like 5,000 miles per hour,” explained Barstow. “If winds move gas around from the dayside to the nightside and back again fast enough, there isn’t enough time for the expected chemical reactions to produce detectable amounts of methane on the nightside.”The team thinks that because of this wind-driven mixing, the atmospheric chemistry is the same all the way around the planet, which wasn’t apparent from past work with Hubble and Spitzer.