UConn Profs to be Among First to Explore Space With New Telescope

STORRS, CT — Two UConn physics professors will be among the world’s first scientists to explore the universe using the new James Webb Space Telescope.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced it earlier this month.

UConn officials on Tuesday joked that, just like the highly anticipated release of a new phone, game, or gadget, astrophysicists lined up for a chance to use it via "compelling proposals to secure their spot in line and an opportunity to use the new technology."

The telescope is set to launch in 2019, UConn officials said.

Of more than 100 proposals submitted, only 13 were chosen to participate in the early release phase, including two separate proposals involving UConn researchers Kate Whitaker and Jonathan Trump, both assistant professors of physics.

The James Webb Space Telescope, designed to be a large space-based observatory optimized for infrared wavelengths, will be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble telescope has been a versatile workhorse and vital tool since its launch in 1990, allowing researchers to peer deep into space and get crisp glimpses of distant galaxies. Webb will take these capabilities to the next level by allowing researchers to peer deeper into space, pushing into the frontiers of research.

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Photo: The Webb Telescope. Photo Credit: NASA