Durham’s astronomers will be some of the first to use the new James Webb Space Telescope.
Durham's astronomers will be some of the first to use the new James Webb Space Telescope. Durham's astronomers are playing a key role in the biggest scientific programme to be carried out on the new successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. Our scientists will use NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to hunt for dark matter and investigate early galaxy formation. The JWST is the largest, most powerful space telescope ever built and is scheduled for launch in October 2021 before beginning operations in 2022. Parts for the new telescope were built by our Centre for Advanced Instrumentation. COSMOS-Webb Our astronomers are part of the global COSMOS-Webb programme, the biggest General Observer programme selected for the JWST's first year of operation. COSMOS-Webb will survey a patch of sky near the constellation Sextans and, thanks to the JWST's increased resolution, our astronomers expect to see half-a-million distant galaxies.
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