The James Webb Space Telescope is NASA’s premier observatory of this decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the history of our universe from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of stars and planetary systems like our own that are capable of supporting life, to the evolution of early galaxies from their formation until now.
Tom will explore how the Webb telescope differs from the Hubble Space Telescope, which was serviceable and located only a few hundred miles up orbiting Earth, whereas Webb is unserviceable and much farther away.
Thus, NASA had to get everything just right the first time, overcoming incredible difficulties during Webb’s 30-day flight to its current position orbiting a point in space called Lagrange Point 2. That point is located just shy of 1 million miles from Earth. The design and construction of this amazing telescope is explained, along with the instruments and cameras on board that must work in extremely cold conditions, just above “absolute zero”. Examples of Webb’s strikingly beautiful images of various nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies “far, far away” are included.
About Tom:
For 25 years, Tom Durkin (recently retired) served as Deputy Director of the NASA South Dakota Space Grant Consortium at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. His duties consisted of managing the STEM educational and research activities of the Consortium’s 30 affiliate organizations, providing support for university students funded by Space Grant, and giving presentations to precollege schools and the general public about NASA missions. Prior to his Space Grant position, Mr. Durkin worked for 12 years in Pierre for the SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of Minerals and Mining. He received a B.S. degree in Earth Science from Adelphi University in New York and an M.S. degree in Geology from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He is a Certified Professional Geologist.