How the James Webb Space Telescope Will Unfold the Universe | John C. Mather | TED

The James Webb Space Telescope is a miracle of modern science and engineering. With a 21-foot, gold-coated mirror protected by a sunshield that's the size of a tennis court, it's the world's most powerful telescope and humanity's latest attempt to answer questions like: "Where did we come from?" and "Are we alone?" (It also needed to be folded up like origami in order to launch into space.) Nobel Laureate John C. Mather, the leader of the team at NASA that built the Webb, explains how the telescope will observe the first galaxies to form in the early universe, peer behind clouds of cosmic dust and gas to reveal stars being born and uncover new details about places like Europa and Titan, which could harbor life. "We're going to get a great surprise from this telescope," Mather says.

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[jazkepler]

They dont talk about wars or competition...they want to discuss ideas and achievements..truly remarkable character.

[dlvl]

These scientists are heroes of humanity

[ronkirk]

The 'Deep Field View' taken with Hubble has to be one of the most awe inspiring images ever seen. All those galaxies! Just amazing.

[jjfarnsdad]

I was lucky enough to be able to work on this project for a few years and I will always be proud of the contribution I made to one of the most amazing science projects conducted by the human race, lol. I did most of the testing and quality control of the materials that were used to make the frame that supports the hexagon panels and the instrumentation. It is made from lightweight carbon fiber prepreg tape that was very tightly controlled during production and I made sure that everything was done at the highest level of quality for that specific prepreg material. I love being able to share this with my kids and show them how amazing our scientists are and how they can help us to understand the whole universe.

[contxmedia]

James Webb is this generations Hubble. And we all know how legendary Hubble is.

[serta]

Wow he is so good at explaining complex things with simple words 🤓

[whirledpeas]

I'm so happy JWST is functioning as designed, I couldn't wait another 25 years for another

[PkmnMasterHolly]

So excited to see more scientific discoveries made with this telescope!! Good luck to the scientists conducting the research, we're all rooting for you!!!

[HakuCell]

0:00 the TED intro is very cool. i compliment whoever created it.

[JoshDisher]

When I get sad, I contemplate the fact that I was born into a generation that has seen more scientific advances than every other generation that came before me.

It truly is a "Glorious Dawn" for scientific discovery and I'm so grateful to exist as it unfolds!

On to Mars!!!

"We are a way for The Univese to know itself." CS

[CuriosityLounge]

The James Webb Space telescope has some of the most Insane Engineering of our time. Looking forward to what it discovers.

[omniyambot]

John Mather. The legend. The underrated humble physicist.

[josevenegas]

Wow, incredible talk. Go Webb, futher than ever before

[jingzhang]

"Astronomers travel with the speed of light and the speed of imagination." I was deeply inspired by this. Would love to hear what they find!

[Continentalmunkey]

These instruments are good for reminding how small the planet is in the grand scheme of things, and reducing egos of individual sentient people but the public doesn’t seem to bother

[fardeenpathan]

Loving the fact that TED is doing these amazing interviews

[murjoshua]

"Astronomers travel with the speed of light and the speed of imagination"
John C. Mather

[quinton]

Thank you, John C. Mather, for your hard work and dedication to progress in the scientific community! This was a great presentation.

[Philippe]

the fact that the launch was so perfect is a really big deal. gives us 10 more years of observation than what was considered likely.

[Anish-qvkv]

Amazing. To the point without wasting any time.