It may not have been a conventional “trip around the sun,” but on July 12, 2023, the Webb Space Telescope completed one year of providing us with awe inspiring imagery and new discoveries about our own Milky Way Galaxy and galaxies far beyond. The occasion was celebrated by many institutions across the US; you can see who participated here: https://webbtelescope.org/news/milestones/first-anniversary
Of course to mark the occasion properly, Webb introduced us to a stunning new image of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex. This detailed close-up shows the birth of Sun-like stars in the closest star-forming region to Earth, the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex. Learn more about the captivating new image here: https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-128
Along with this image, there is also a new presentation to educate and inspire audiences about the Webb mission. The presentation covers Webb's many science discoveries and includes extensive notes and many other resources so you may easily adapt the presentation for your audiences: https://webbtelescope.org/files/live/sites/webb/files/home/news/milestones/first-anniversary/_documents/STScI-J-Webb-First-Year-of-Science-Presentation.pptx
Finally, NISE Network was thrilled to celebrate Webb's first year by welcoming back Dr. Christopher Britt and Yesenia Perez from the Space Telescope Science Institute for our online workshop: One Year of Science and Discovery with the Webb Space Telescope. During this workshop we heard about the achievements of Webb in the past year and learned about new resources available to support educators in engaging and exciting audiences with this content. A recording of this workshop and links to all resources shared is now available: https://www.nisenet.org/catalog/online-workshop-recording-one-year-science-and-discovery-webb-space-telescope
Other helpful Webb links:
- The NISE Network has compiled a list of Webb resources, including our own public engagement resources with connections to Webb: https://nisenet.org/webb
- The Webb Resource Gallery always has the latest imagery and info on discoveries from Webb: https://webbtelescope.org/resource-gallery