Pythagorean Astronomy: Happy Birthday JWST! – Physics and Astronomy outreach

Artist’s concept of JWST

The 25th December marks an anniversary in the world of astronomy (as well as Sir Isaac Newton’s birthday, of course) – the launch of JWST, the infrared space telescope launched to explore the Universe in unprecedented detail. One year on from launch, Chris North and Edward Gomez look at a few of the results that have come in, on top of those we’ve covered previously.

From our own solar system, to the birth of stars, and out towards the first galaxies, the results have covered a huge range of scales in both space and time. That’s thanks to the remarkable scientific instruments onboard JWST, including cameras and spectrometers.

But it’s not just the formation of objects that it’s looked at – JWST can give unique insights into the deaths of stars as well. Dr Mikako Matsuura and Dr Roger Wesson, both at Cardiff University, explain what they’ve been discovering about “planetary nebulae”.

An extended edition of an original broadcast on 29th December 2022 as part of Pythagoras’ Trousers on Radio Cardiff.