Caltech Astronomy Public Lecture Series - What is the James Webb Space Telescope? - Antonio Rodriguez - 09/05/2022

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the newest, largest optical telescope in space, taking revolutionary images of astronomical targets, but why is it special, and is it living up to expectations? Come learn about the first science results from JWST and how it promises to transform our understanding of the cosmos. Join us for a 30-minute lecture followed by a panel Q&A consisting of several astrophysicists. Timestamps below: 00:00 Announcements 05:08 Intro to JWST Presentation 06:24 JWST Presentation 35:24 JWST Q&A 36:27 How much more powerful is JWST than HST? 37:34 What is the lifetime of JWST? 38:27 How are the colors in JWST images chosen? 39:37 How much larger is the Cartwheel Galaxy than the Milky Way? 40:23 What is the main danger to JWST? 41:57 What is JWST's location in space? 43:14 Why were older space telescopes smaller than JWST? 45:42 Intermission 51:35 Intro to Q&A Panel 57:25 How do astronomers measure light's wavelength / color? 59:18 Who gets to name galaxies? 1:05:43 Is doing astronomy ethically justified? 1:12:28 What is the limiting factor for astronomical discovery? 1:16:37 What was a transformative moment in our understanding of the cosmos? 1:21:26 What's the most challenging bridge between science and technology? 1:23:49 Is artificial intelligence used in processing JWST data? 1:33:11 How will JWST tell us where we came from and where we're going? 1:35:38 How does JWST measure water around exoplanets? 1:43:25 Will it be possible to see structures on exoplanets? 1:52:15 Can we make automated and robotic telescopes? 1:55:41 What are the biggest results from JWST so far? 2:02:13 Concluding Remarks Presenter: Antonio Rodriguez is a third-year graduate student in the Astronomy Department at Caltech working with Shri Kulkarni, Tom Prince, and Lynne Hillenbrand on a variety of problems in stellar astronomy. Most recently, I’ve been working on cataclysmic variable stars discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility. Tony grew up in Salinas, California and attended Stanford for his undergraduate studies in physics before joining the department at Caltech. https://acrodrig98.github.io/ Title: What is the James Webb Space Telescope Abstract: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the newest, largest optical telescope in space, taking revolutionary images of astronomical targets, but why is it special, and is it living up to expectations? Why are some images blurry, while others feature 6-pointed stars? Do the colors mean anything or are they photoshopped? Why does it need a sunshield? Will this thing finally help us find aliens? I will address these questions and more as I describe the inner workings of the telescope, some of its new results, and how it promises to revolutionize astronomy like the Hubble Space Telescope has. I'll discuss the hottest science topics that JWST promises to deliver on as well as those that haven’t made headlines.