NEW DATE: Postponed from December 18, 2023
The James Webb Space Telescope: THE INVISIBLE MADE REAL
Presented by NASA Solar System Ambassador MJ Johnson
In 2021, humanity successfully initiated the most ambitious, complicated and expensive telescope ever conceived, and began a new era of discovery unlike any before it. The James Webb Space Telescope (or JWST) has begun returning images to us that stretch the limits of our very understanding — so what exactly has this incredible scientific instrument really begun showing us? And how is it fundamentally different from earlier space telescope missions? Join NASA Solar System Ambassador M.J. Johnson as he retraces what it took scientists to get to this point, provides context for just what we’re learning as the JWST looks toward the very beginning of our universe, and pulls the veil back on events in our cosmos to which we’ve never before had access.
After the talk, members of the South Shore Astronomical Society will be available at Lawson Tower to help navigate the starry night (weather permitting) to share views of the heavens through their telescopes!
This non-technical talk is appropriate for all ages, and will be followed by a nighttime stargazing event. Tickets available online (see below) OR at the Schoolhouse on Cudworth Road AND at the door.
Tickets for this event are:
- $10.00 per person for Society members
- $15.00 per person for non-members
Email GAR Hall Events for more information.
M.J. Johnson’s interest in the night sky was kindled by early astronomy teachers, but it wasn’t until he found himself living in Northern California in the late 1990s, where luck and geography provided access to skies swimming in deep sky delights. There he became involved in the local astronomy scene. Mr. Johnson moved to Massachusetts in 2006, and became further involved in local astronomy clubs. His passion for the night sky has taken him on journeys all over and most recently, to the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina where he fulfilled a lifelong dream to observe a total solar eclipse.
This program sponsored in part by a grant from the Mass Cultural Council, supporting cultural opportunities throughout the Commonwealth.
