Welcome to the Tuesday Telescope. There is a bit too much darkness in this world and not enough light – a bit too much pseudoscience and not enough science. We let other publications offer you a daily horoscope. At Ars Technica we take a different route and we find inspiration from very real images of a universe filled with stars and wonder.
Was the James Webb Space Telescope worth it?
Well, $ 10 billion is a lot of From money. Even if they spread over a few decades, it is still a huge part of the annual science budget from NASA. (And given the recent attack of Trump administration on the NASA science budget, money is about to become a lot tighter.)
However, it is difficult to appreciate promoting the understanding of our kind of natural world and the broad universe in which we swim. And Webb does that great job.
In 2009, NASA launched the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer of Wise, mission to make infrared observations. This was the last in a series of spaces-based infrared observatories, and it cost about 3 percent as much as the Webb telescope.
Two infrared views of NGC 1514. The left is an observation of NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (Wise).
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, NASA-JPL, Caltech, UCLA, Michael Resler (NASA-JPL), Dave Jones (IAC)
Two infrared views of NGC 1514. The left is an observation of NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (Wise).
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, NASA-JPL, Caltech, UCLA, Michael Resler (NASA-JPL), Dave Jones (IAC)
Today's photo concerns the Planetary Nebula NGC 1514. In 2010, Mike Ressler discovered “Rings” around the Planetaire Nevel with the help of the Wise Telescope, NASA project scientist Mike Resler. Thanks to Webb, the rings – which are probably composed of small dust grains, heated by ultraviolet light from a white dwarf star – can clearly be seen. And, oh mine, they are spectacular.
The clarity in the Webb photo, compared to what came before, is remarkable. So, is seeing the universe in a new light worth $ 10 billion? I think so for sure, but I write a weekly story called The Tesday Telescope, so it's safe to say that I am biased.
Source: NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, Michael Resler (NASA-JPL), Dave Jones (IAC)
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