{"id":5073,"date":"2022-07-13T13:43:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T13:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/?p=5073"},"modified":"2024-07-11T13:47:41","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T13:47:41","slug":"purdue-astronomer-speechless-in-the-face-of-new-images-from-space-telescope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/2022\/Q3\/purdue-astronomer-speechless-in-the-face-of-new-images-from-space-telescope","title":{"rendered":"Purdue astronomer speechless in the face of new images from space telescope"},"content":{"rendered":"

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —<\/p> \n

Star birth, star death, exoplanets, galaxies and a window that looks back to the universe 13.1 billion<\/em> years ago: That\u2019s what the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) delivered when it released its first handful of scientific images on Tuesday (July 12).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As he has from the beginning, astronomer Danny Milisavljevic<\/a> watched with fellow astronomers, witnessing the universe unfold before his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese images were incredible,\u201d Milisavljevic said. \u201cJWST just launched a new era of space exploration. The images pushed the envelope of my understanding \u2013 of my ability to even explain what I was seeing. These images reveal all sorts of structures that we have never seen before and led me to ask all sorts of questions that I had never even thought to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An assistant professor of physics and astronomy in Purdue University\u2019s College of Science<\/a>, Milisavljevic (pronounced mili-sahv-la-vich) leads a team of collaborators that will study images like the ones JWST released for insights into the life cycles of stars, galaxies and the universe itself. JWST is the most powerful space telescope ever launched and the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, which allowed humans to see farther into space and deeper into time. After launching in late December and reaching its orbit in January<\/a>, the JWST has been calibrating its instruments<\/a> and preparing for its role as humanity\u2019s longest-sighted eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milisavljevic emphasizes that the telescope is not just larger or more powerful than the Hubble \u2013 though it is those things \u2013 but it also incorporates scientific knowledge learned from the Hubble to look at the stars in an entirely new way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe images don\u2019t just look better \u2013 they\u2019re different,\u201d Milisavljevic said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just better resolution, but JWST is looking at infrared emissions sensitive to a variety of different elements and molecules that Hubble cannot access. It\u2019s exciting to look at the promise of the JWST coming true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before JWST, the Hubble Space Telescope allowed humans to see farther into space and deeper into time. The JWST is bigger, is more complex and orbits farther from the Earth than Hubble, allowing it unprecedented opportunities for interstellar sleuthing. JWST looks even farther into space and time, and with an unprecedented range of wavelengths and strength of definition. The knowledge it uncovers may help scientists take the next small steps out into the universe \u2014 and discern where humans want to go next and why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milisavljevic leads a team of nearly 40 scientists and researchers from more than 30 institutions \u2014 including Harvard, Princeton and Johns Hopkins universities, as well as Los Alamos National Laboratory and the SETI Institute \u2014 in studying Cassiopeia A, one of the more puzzling objects in the galaxy. Cassiopeia A comprises the remnants of a supernova explosion and has at its heart a neutron star that doesn\u2019t behave the way scientists think neutron stars ought to behave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJWST is going to allow us to look at stellar objects at wavelengths and resolutions we\u2019ve never been able to use before,\u201d Milisavljevic said. \u201cSupernova remnants are leftover explosions \u2014 that\u2019s what we\u2019ll be studying. We\u2019ll be able to study what type of star was there before the explosion, the physics of the explosion, the type of dust it generated and what made it all happen. Supernova explosions make all the materials for life \u2014 the oxygen we breathe, the iron in our blood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bigger, farther, better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
An artist\u2019s rendering of the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble\u2019s successor. It will orbit Earth four times farther out than the moon and employ an unprecedented range of wavelengths and strength of definition\rCredit: NASA GSFC\/CIL\/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

JWST is larger than Hubble. Its primary mirror is about 20 feet across, while Hubble\u2019s is just 8 feet across. Hubble\u2019s telescopes looked primarily at objects in the ultraviolet, visual and near-infrared wavelengths. But many objects that astronomers want to see and study \u2014 like the universe\u2019s oldest galaxies, exoplanets and stars \u2014 are hidden behind swaths of dust. Infrared wavelengths allow scientists to get a clearer view than visual wavelengths of light could give them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hubble rode into space aboard the shuttle Discovery. Hubble\u2019s orbit is about 350 miles up. JWST orbits Earth from nearly a million miles away \u2014 four times farther away than the moon and 2,500 times farther out than Hubble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JWST\u2019s home is a special spot in space called L2, or the second Lagrange Point. It\u2019s a place where, thanks to the orbital dynamics of Earth, the moon and sun, it will stay in a fixed position with respect to Earth \u2014 always keeping Earth between itself and the sun. This is an ideal location from which to observe the universe because the satellite won\u2019t have to use too much of its fuel in adjustments to its orbit, a vital consideration since it will be so far away from its home planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eyes on the sky<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A new image taken with the NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope provides a detailed look at the tattered remains of a supernova explosion known as Cassiopeia A (Cas A). It is the youngest known remnant from a supernova explosion in the Milky Way. The new Hubble image shows the complex and intricate structure of the star’s shattered fragments.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Milisavljevic is collaborating on several JWST projects and is serving as principal investigator in looking at Cassiopeia A, a supernova remnant about 11,000 light-years away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project will take place during the first year of JWST\u2019s research, beginning after it reaches L2. JWST will use infrared imaging and spectroscopy to examine Cassiopeia A. Scientists want to study how it formed and look at the neutron star, an X-ray source in the heart of the cloud of star-stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis proposal, like the telescope itself, has been years in the making,\u201d Milisavljevic said. \u201cProposals usually take a couple of weeks; this one took years. There are a lot of people involved, with a lot of overlapping and potentially competitive research interests. I was able to convince them that united as an ultimate dream team of investigators, we are stronger than our individual parts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supernovae resulting from collapsing stars are among the most influential phenomena in any galaxy when it comes to building stars and planetary systems. But they are also not at all well understood. Insights into how Cassiopeia A formed will help scientists understand more about how stars live and die, how metals are distributed throughout galaxies, and potentially even probe the origin of life itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the things we\u2019re going to be able to do is peer deeply at these objects,\u201d Milisavljevic said. \u201cHaving access to mid-infrared wavelengths with the same resolutions possible with existing near-infrared and visual data, allows us for the first time to probe the formation of stellar debris that will give us critical clues about how the explosion proceeded. Up until now, we didn\u2019t have all the components needed for an answer. JWST is giving us the opportunity to observe at wavelengths and resolutions we never have before.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hubble\u2019s heir<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
An illustration comparing the Hubble to JWST. JWST\u2019s primary mirror is about 20 feet across, while Hubble\u2019s is just eight feet across. The larger mirror will allow it to look deeper into space and time. Credit: Credit: ESA\/M. Kornmesser<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Purdue engineers and scientists have designed the space systems and equipment that are humanity\u2019s eyes in the sky since the very first American satellites launched. That heritage of space exploration \u2014 including footprints left on the moon by Purdue astronauts \u2014 is part of what drew Milisavljevic to Purdue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a child, Milisavljevic vividly remembers being \u201cbeyond the moon\u201d when offered the opportunity to write about the planets of the solar system (nine of them, back then) in a two-pronged folder. As an undergraduate, he continued to study the solar system, helping discover four moons of Uranus \u2014 one of which, Ferdinand<\/a>, he got to name \u2014 and five moons of Neptune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purdue graduates worked on the rockets that took the first unmanned American satellites \u2014on the heels of Sputnik \u2014 into space. They were instrumental in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs as astronauts, researchers and engineers. Drew Feustel<\/a>, a Purdue astronaut from earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, was on the final mission to fix Hubble and restore its ability to send clearer images back to Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another Boilermaker had a concrete role in boosting JWST into space. Katherine Gasaway, a current doctoral candidate in the College of Engineering\u2019s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, was an intern at Northrop Grumman in 2016, where she helped the team working on the structural testing of one of the carbon fiber sun shield beams. Because JWST is going to be so far from Earth, it needs to be as sturdy and fail-proof as possible. No handy space shuttle will be able to easily haul engineers to fix it if something goes amiss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with so many other rockets, satellites and telescopes, Purdue hands helped build it, and Purdue eyes will be watching as the Ariane 5 rocket reaches the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe whole mission is incredibly exciting,\u201d Milisavljevic said. \u201cWe are investigating the stars with longer wavelengths of light that is going to let us explore in unprecedented detail. We are going to be able to study things that were impossible to study before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Purdue University<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today\u2019s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at\u00a0https:\/\/stories.purdue.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

\n Writer, Media contact:<\/strong>\u00a0Brittany Steff,\u00a0bsteff@purdue.edu<\/a>
Source:<\/strong>\u00a0Danny Milisavljevic,\u00a0dmilisav@purdue.edu<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Star birth, star death, exoplanets, galaxies and a window that looks back to the universe 13.1 billion years ago: That\u2019s what the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) delivered when it released its first handful of scientific images on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,7],"tags":[],"department":[58,32],"source":[29],"purdue_today_topic":[66],"coauthors":[77],"class_list":["post-5073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-research-excellence","department-purdue-moves","department-science","source-purdue-news","purdue_today_topic-research"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5073"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5077,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5073\/revisions\/5077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5073"},{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=5073"},{"taxonomy":"source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/source?post=5073"},{"taxonomy":"purdue_today_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/purdue_today_topic?post=5073"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=5073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}