UCalgary experts available to speak to James Webb Space Telescope launch

Calgary, AB – The University of Calgary has experts available to speak about the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on December 22, 2021. Twenty years in development, the JWST is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope and builds on its impressive legacy by helping to uncover the mysteries of the universe. It is the most complex and powerful space telescope ever built and will provide data to an international community of astronomers for at least a decade. 

The JWST is scheduled to launch on December 22, 2021, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, from where it will travel to its destination 1.6 million kilometres from Earth. Due to its large size, the JWST will be folded to fit into the Ariane 5 rocket that will launch it into space. The process of fully unfolding will take two weeks, followed by two more weeks to travel to its destination.

The JWST will operate for a minimum of five years to a maximum of approximately 10 years. The length of the mission will ultimately be determined by the amount of fuel used to maintain Webb's orbit, and by the proper functioning of the spacecraft and its instruments.

JWST is designed to:

• Observe farther into the universe than ever before
• Search for the first stars and galaxies created after the big bang
• Increase understanding of how planets, stars and galaxies are born and evolve over time
• Explore distant worlds and study our solar system
• Determine the potential for life on planets around other stars

 

JWST mission facts:

• The JWST will be positioned at Lagrange point 2 (L2) approximately 1.6 million kilometres from earth.
• JWST will have an unobstructed view of the universe.
• Wavelength detection is visible infrared to Mid-infrared, JWSTwill use infrared light, which cannot be perceived by the human eye, to study every phase in cosmic history.
• The telescope's four scientific instruments are specifically designed to capture infrared light and will be able to peer through cosmic dust to study colder or very distant objects.

 

Experts available:

• Dr. Phil Langill, PhD, senior instructor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Scientific Director, Rothney Astrophysical Observatory
• Dr. Jeroen Stil, PhD, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy         

 

Media Contact

Jacqueline Sinnett
Advisor, Media and Issues Management 
Office of Advancement  
403-389-3476
jmsinnet@ucalgary.ca 

 

Erin Guiltenane
Communications Advisor, Faculty of Science
University of Calgary
eguilten@ucalgary.ca
403-606-9913

 

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is a global intellectual hub located in Canada’s most enterprising city. In our spirited, high-quality learning environment, students thrive in programs made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. Our strategy drives us to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, engaging the communities we both serve and lead.

 

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