Series: Astronomy Colloquium
Date: Wednesday 02-Apr-2025
Time: 16:05-17:00 (4:05-5:00 pm)
Location: ATL 2400
Speaker: Dr. Stefanie Milam (GSFC)
Title: "**Special-Mike A'Hearn Lecture** The Solar System Revisited with JWST: New Views, Discoveries, and Questions"
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been astonishing the public and science community since the summer of 2022 after a nail-biting deployment sequence and extensive commissioning campaign. The complex space telescope operates with exquisite sensitivity at infrared wavelengths with imagers and spectrometers on board covering 1-28 microns. These instruments are already returning amazing spectra and images of small and large bodies in our solar system, revealing the composition and dynamic processes of these objects not readily accessible with other observatories or even planetary missions.
After only a few years, JWST has already provided fundamental insight into the composition and dynamics of planetary/satellite atmospheres/exospheres and rings as well as the composition of small bodies. We are learning more about the distribution of volatiles and processed materials across the different reservoirs of planetesimals and providing new observational constraints on the formation of the solar system. More importantly, the unprecedented resolution and spectral imaging are leading to new questions as well as revolutionizing planetary science for the outer solar system. The nominal launch and efficient operations in place ensure a JWST science mission lifetime of up to 20 years, enabling new discoveries and exploration for future generations. This presentation will highlight some of the amazing science in the solar system being revealed and some perspectives on what is to come.
In-person colloquia are usually preceded by espresso and ice cream at 1:45 pm outside room PSC 1150 and are followed by an informal reception at 5:15 pm in that room. Anyone interested in talking with the speaker, or being added to the colloquium announcement email list, should contact the colloquium organizer Dr. Richard Mushotzky. Lunch will normally be reserved for the speaker to talk to graduate students. Anyone asking a question during a talk is asked to raise their hand and be acknowledged before speaking. Contact Dr. Richard Mushotzky for details.
Colloquium Organizer:
Dr. Richard Mushotzky
Special accommodations for individuals with disabilities can be made by calling (301) 405-3001. It would be appreciated if we are notified at least one week in advance.
