ZION NATIONAL PARK — The newest space telescope may be one million miles from Earth, but locals will be able to see the first images from the telescope a little closer to home.
The National Park Service and astronomy groups in St. George and Cedar City will mark the release of the first science images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope with free events in Southern Utah and Zion National Park.
The parks and partners will offer a range of public programs to bring the excitement of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) to children, teenagers and adults.
The community events are free and open to the public, with the first events hosted by the St. George Astronomy Club on Tuesday at the Washington City Library, 220 N. 300 East starting at 7 p.m., as well as Bryce Canyon National Park at 10 a.m. in Building 1.
Additional events will be held at Zion National Park’s amphitheater on Wednesday, Springdale’s Canyon Community Center at 7 p.m. Thursday, Cedar City Library on July 16, and at Southern Utah University’s Ashcroft Observatory on July 25
For a full schedule of events, go to https://webbtelescope.org/news/first-images/events.
Webb is the largest and most complex space science telescope ever built – the premier observatory of the next decade. This international mission, led by NASA in partnership with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, launched on Dec. 25. After unfolding in space into its final form, Webb successfully arrived at its destination nearly one million miles from Earth and began preparing for science operations.
The observatory, which is designed to see the universe in the infrared, will push the field of astronomy into a new era. Webb will be able to study light from distant parts of the universe for the very first time – the first galaxies that formed over 13.5 billion years ago – and give us insight into how our universe formed. It will also peer into dusty stellar nurseries to explore distant worlds orbiting other stars, as well as observe objects in our own solar system.
The telescope will also be able to analyze the atmospheres of planets in other solar systems, potentially revealing worlds suitable for life.
Webb will extend the scientific discoveries of other NASA missions like the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
To learn more about the Webb Telescope and community events visit webb.nasa.gov and webbtelescope.org.
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