James Webb Space Telescope: Out Where The Stars Do Not Twinkle
From observing the first stars and galaxies that flickered on when the universe was very young, to discovering planets around other stars bearing life, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is expected to bring data and discoveries that would, in due course of time, expand the boundaries of our knowledge in important ways. Within the past year, JWST has demonstrated its supreme capabilities in studying the universe in an unprecedented manner. Along with some of the promises of science, JWST is also an engineering marvel. New and frontier technologies have gone into the design and making of this general-purpose observatory. In my presentation, I will go over the history of the James Webb Space Telescope, its primary science goals, the telescopes' design aspects, its command and control from the ground, and what to expect in terms of science.
Dr. Anand Narayanan is Professor at the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, an institute under the Department of Space, Government of India. Previously he was a post-doctoral scholar in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US. He earned his Ph.D. and Masters in Astrophysics from the Pennsylvania State University in the US. He holds a B. Tech. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram. His research involves understanding how galaxies and other large-scale structures form in our universe. Anand also has a keen interest in astronomy education and public outreach. He has scripted, directed, and anchored a series of seven episodes on astrophysics in Malayalam for the Government of Kerala's television channel VICTERS. The series won the Kerala state government's award for the best educational program on television for the year 2014. More recently, Anand Narayanan scripted and directed a half-hour documentary in English on the history of the 180-year-old Travancore Observatory. The film won two awards at the 10th National Science Film Festival of India. Dr. Anand has also done programs for All India Radio on topics in astrophysics.
