Midmonth Check-In: January 2022 and James Webb Space Telescope

 

Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    

    It came as no surprise when the clouds rolled in on the evening and morning of the peak date for the Quadrantid meteor shower. I have almost, but not quite, learned to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised when the weather cooperates and allows me to observe when I want to. On a more positive note, I have enjoyed looking at Jupiter and Saturn in the early evening sky before they sink below the horizon. During a few clear and early mornings, I have been able to see Mars and Antares in close proximity. Observing this pair in the morning sky has hyped me up for some telescope observations this year!

    In my opinion, the most exciting astronomical event has already occurred this month with the Quadrantids. For the Moon observers, we still have the Full Moon occurring on the 17th. There are also close approaches of the Moon and the morning planets, Mars, Venus, and Mercury to look forward to on the 29th and 30th. The 29th will have have the Moon, Mars, and Venus in close proximity and then Mercury on the following morning.  

Think About This....💡

    

    In case you missed it, the James Webb Space Telescope was successfully launched! It has also successfully deployed its sunshield. As of this writing, JWST is still on its way to its final destination, a point known as Lagrange point 2 or simply, L2. This is an area in space where the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Earth cancel each other out and provide a stable area for an object to float. This point is located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun. L2, the new home for JWST, is about a million miles from where the telescope began its journey here on Earth. The JWST is nearly 85% to its final destination at L2. This distance is about 4 times as far as the orbit of the Moon. 

    

    The JWST is currently deploying its 18 individual mirrors that will make up its primary mirror. After all 18 mirrors are out, they will be aligned which NASA expects to take about three months. The Hubble Space Telescope uses a single mirror that is 2.4 meters (approximately 7.8 feet) in diameter. Each mirror segment of the JWST is smaller, measuring just 1.3 meters (approximately 4.3 feet) in diameter. However, when the 18 mirrors of the JWST are combined, they will create a single mirror that is roughly 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in diameter. Creating many smaller mirrors is less expensive and easier to make instead of a single large mirror. This telescope should be able to reveal parts of the universe which have, so far, gone undetected. I'm excited for the new discoveries that will be made! Hopefully everything will continue to go smoothly with the JWST or if there are any issues, the engineers at NASA will be able to find a solution. 

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Now get outside and look up!