The winter AAS meeting was heavy on news from the James Webb Space Telescope. What were some of the new results that were announced?
Jan 30th: JWST First Science
Astronomy Cast Archive
Jan 23rd: Solar System References to the Underworld
The @AstronomyCast reach 666 episodes. To celebrate, here’s an episode about things in the Universe that have been named after mythological people and places in the underworld!
Jan 16th: The Age of Reionization
The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation tells us so much about the Universe. After that era, the Universe went dark. Then, as gas pulled together into the first stars and eventually galaxies, light returned, beginning the Age of Reionization.
Jan 9th: The First Stars
The Sun is a third-generation star, polluted with metals from long-dead suns. Astronomers have also discovered second-generation stars, with very low metallicity. But theories suggest there must be a first generation, with stars made from only pure hydrogen and helium. Can we ever find them?
Jan 2nd: Ice In Space
A huge part of the Solar System is just made of ice. There are comets, rings, moons and even dwarf planets. Where did all this ice come from, and what impact has it had for life on Earth?
Dec 26th: The Christmas Star
With Christmas just around the corner, we thought we’d investigate a mystery that has puzzled historians for hundreds of years
Dec 21st: How To Build A Supervolcano In Just 4 Million Years
Using pockets of gas found in tiny crystals, scientists have created a timeline for the formation and eruption of four supervolcano events in northern Chile more than twenty million years ago.
Dec 19th: End of Year Observing Events
We generally save our stargazing suggestions for the summer, when it’s warmer in the northern hemisphere. But let see some wonderful things you can see in the night sky this time of year.
Dec 12th: Looking Ahead at New and Recycled Missions
Last week we talked about the missions we’re saying goodbye to. This week, we’re going to talk about some upcoming missions to say hello to. Some are brand new ideas, others are, uh, recycled.
Dec 5th: Looking Back on the Missions That Ended
It’s always sad to say goodbye, but when we send our robotic emissaries out into the cosmos, it’s just a matter of time before they shut down. Today we’re going to say goodbye to a few missions which have reached the end of their lives… But they were very good robots.