The James Webb Space Telescope: A new and powerful tool for exploring our universe

Location: Ellipse (Technology Center, Room 8180)
Presented by Keith Murdock

The James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful and complex telescope ever built. It has given us an unprecedented capability to observe deep into the infrared spectrum. JWST allows us to travel to the beginning of time, to dig deep within dust clouds where stars are being formed, and to analyze atmospheres on worlds beyond our solar system. Here is the story of how it was built, what it can do, and why we need it.

Biography:
Keith is a software engineer and biomedical information science specialist. He has been a dedicated amateur astronomer since 1996, and is the lecture series coordinator for the Rockland Astronomy Club. He is a frequent lecturer on visual astronomy and planetary science. He is a self-described “extreme astro-tourist”, and has visited numerous large observatories. He has also observed from the Australian Outback, Saipan, and from near the summit of Mauna Kea at an altitude of 13,000 ft. In October 2005, Keith used the 82” Struve telescope at McDonald Observatory in Texas to locate and acquire the recently-discovered Planet 10 – an observation never before accomplished.

For more information, please call Prof. Safaie at ext. 4534