“The Webb: Well Worth Waiting For”
Abstract:
On Christmas Day, the Webb was launched from Kourou in South America. It is currently on its way to a special orbit well beyond the Moon having undergone a number of very complex manoeuvres.
After giving everyone an update, and an explanation of what to expect over the next few months, I will briefly introduce its four main instruments and describe how the Webb can help us understand the birth of the first stars in the Universe and how stars and planets, like our own Solar System, form.
Bio:
Tom Ray is Director of the School of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
He began his career in Radio Astronomy at Jodrell Bank before working at a number of institutions including the University of Sussex and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg. His primary interest is in star and planet formation.
Tom is Co-Principal Investigator of the Mid-Infrared Instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope and Co-Principal Investigator on the Ariel Mission to explore exoplanets. In addition he is building a new type of super-cooled detector, known as a Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector, for optical/near-infrared astronomy.
Tom’s other interests include ancient astronomical sites, such as Newgrange, and the history of Irish astronomy.
In his spare time he sails.
Paul Evans is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: IAA Zoom Meeting
Time: Jan 19, 2022 07:15 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4222002106
Meeting ID: 422 200 2106
The room will open around 19:15 to allow for a prompt start
This talk will also be Simulcast on our YouTube Channel