Join Webb Quest: Mind-blowing mission to the early Universe
In brief
On Thursday 3 February, teachers and students from across Europe will embark on a mission with ESA experts Mark McCaughrean and Giovanna Giardino to learn more about the James Webb Space Telescope and the early Universe. Join the quest!
In-depth
Date: 3 February 2022
Time: 15.00h - 16.00h CET
Duration: 1 hour
Language: English
Level: Secondary students and educators
Location: ESA YouTube and ESA Facebook channels
On 25 December 2021, ESA launched the highly anticipated James Webb Space Telescope, the largest space telescope in history. With a never-before-seen view of the first bursts of starlight in the universe, the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) will look back in time to help uncover the mysteries of early star birth and galaxy formation.
The newest addition to ESA’s fleet of eyes in the sky, the James Webb Space Telescope will forever change the field of astronomy. As the largest telescope to be launched into space, Webb is a feat of incredible engineering, design, and teamwork, and will produce some of the most spectacular images of the universe yet! Its mission is one cloaked in mystery: to discover what extraordinary events occurred in the depths of the early universe.
Join the ESA Webb Quest, a programme tailored for teachers and students, on 3 February 2022 and discover how Webb will unlock the secrets of the early universe. Webb Quest includes an up-to-date overview of the mission and interesting explanations of key science themes related to the innovative telescope by ESA experts Mark McCaughrean and Giovanna Giardino.
Mark McCaughrean is ESA’s Webb Interdisciplinary Scientist. He is an astronomer and uses infrared data to study regions where new stars and planetary systems are formed. He is also extremely active in public outreach events, he is the co-founder of Space Rocks which celebrates space exploration, art and music.
Giovanna Giardino is an ESA NIRSpec Scientist. She is an astronomer working on Webb’s NIRSpec and MIRI instruments. Thanks to her work, once Webb starts its scientific operations, astronomers across the world will be able to understand and use the data received from Webb’s instruments to investigate the mysteries of the early universe.
The programme is around 50 minutes, with a 10 minute question and answer session. It is open to the general public and is tailored to secondary students and educators.
The Webb Quest event is part of a wide range of educational activities delivered by ESA and the European Space Education Resource Offices (ESEROs) across Europe. The ESERO project is a collaboration between ESA, national space agencies and national and local educational partners.
In preparation for the event, ESA will be publishing a selection of exciting Webb challenges to help support students and educators learning about the ground-breaking Webb mission. You can find them on the Teach with Astronomy website, alongside hands-on activities, classroom resources, images, videos, infographics, and animations relating to observing the night sky.