# James Webb Space Telescope general discussion thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** science-math\ **Created:** [December 25, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624 "2021-12-25T13:18:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 42
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/821 "2022-08-05T19:07:18Z")
Betcha the folks at The Onion are kicking themselves right now… ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/822 "2022-08-05T19:58:43Z")
I think the scientist gave a very good explanation of why _argumentum ad verecundiam_ is a logical fallacy… ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/823 "2022-08-06T16:38:02Z")
He probably thought it was a harmless prank because no one would be stupid enough to think that it was a real image. Then he discovered that he lived in 2022. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/824 "2022-08-06T16:41:13Z")
Because people before 2022 were better at recognizing sausages? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/825 "2022-08-06T19:59:32Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > He probably thought it was a harmless prank because no one would be stupid enough to think that it was a real image. As a scientist, I’m interested in the science news sites, and follow a few of them. I understand this is what he thought. I think three clues should have been: the edge is pretty clear, the outline is distinctly different from circular or elliptical, and there’s no limb darkening. But, I don’t know that laypeople would have caught many of these clues. Perhaps he reached a wider audience than he expected to. Here’s a good reference to get an idea what resolved star images have looked like to date: > **[List of stars with resolved images](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stars_with_resolved_images)** > > The following is a list of stars with resolved images, that is, stars whose images have been resolved beyond a point source.\[clarification needed\] Aside from the Sun, observed from Earth, stars are exceedingly small in apparent size, requiring the use of special high-resolution equipment and techniques to image. For example, Betelgeuse, the first star other than the Sun to be directly imaged, has an angular diameter of only 50 milliarcseconds (mas). Webb might plausibly give images better than these, but some of the characteristics would still be there. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/826 "2022-08-06T21:20:53Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Webb does it again … this is the Cartwheel Galaxy I looked at this thread for the first time just to comment on how wrong the name for this is. It’s a Pinwheel folks, not a Cartwheel. Totally different things. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/827 "2022-08-06T21:41:01Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I looked at this thread for the first time just to comment on how wrong the name for this is. It’s a Pinwheel folks, not a Cartwheel. Totally different things. That name was already taken: > **[Pinwheel Galaxy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinwheel_Galaxy)** > > The Pinwheel Galaxy (also known as Messier 101, M101 or NGC 5457) is a face-on spiral galaxy 21 million light-years (6.4 megaparsecs) away from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781\[a\] and was communicated that year to Charles Messier, who verified its position for inclusion in the Messier Catalogue as one of its final entries. > On February 28, 2006, NASA and the European Space Agency released a very detailed image of the Pinwheel Galaxy, which was the... ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/828 "2022-08-06T21:44:49Z")
Damn, I gotta keep up on my space photos! ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/829 "2022-08-06T21:50:40Z")
SPY magazine did something like this back in the nineties: “Is this the planet Neptune…or a tennis ball?” ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/830 "2022-08-07T21:19:21Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I looked at this thread for the first time just to comment on how wrong the name for this is. It’s a Pinwheel folks, not a Cartwheel. Totally different things. Indeed, a _cartwheel_ galaxy is different than a _pinwheel_ galaxy. [This **JWST** video](https://imgur.com/QBTxlIN) shows a _cartwheel_ galaxy. The galaxy movement is very subtle, so you must look closely to see the motion. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/831 "2022-08-08T16:09:33Z")
That is subtle. I had to watch it three times before I caught it! ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2022, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/832 "2022-08-12T15:56:16Z")
Funny. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2022, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/833 "2022-08-12T19:46:00Z")
Looks more like summersaults\* to me. \*I think that’s the first time I’ve ever written or typed that word, for some reason, it just doesn’t look right. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/834 "2022-08-12T19:47:48Z")
somersault ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/835 "2022-08-12T19:52:13Z")
Ah, that’d be why. Autocorrect spelled it, and when I googled it, it came up with the definition I was looking for. But if I’d been a bit less lazy, I woulda scrolled down. > [@](#): > > **summersault** (_plural_ **[summersaults](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/summersaults#English)**) > > 1. Archaic spelling of _[somersault](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/somersault#English)_. I guess I’m just old school. You whippersnappers with your space telescopes and simplified spelling… ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2022, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/836 "2022-08-19T06:27:58Z")
Actually, there are 4 objects named pinwheel galaxy, just on the Messier list, and probably more. [Pinwheel Galaxy (disambiguation) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinwheel_Galaxy_(disambiguation)) ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/837 "2022-08-22T14:41:23Z")
New Jupiter images, processed by a citizen scientist: [https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/08/22/webbs-jupiter-images-showcase-auroras-hazes/](https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/08/22/webbs-jupiter-images-showcase-auroras-hazes/) Brian ---
**Author:** ![kwintenstraler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kwintenstraler/32/10698_2.png) [@kwintenstraler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwintenstraler)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/838 "2022-08-25T17:54:28Z")
> **[Webb telescope makes first unequivocal detection of carbon dioxide in an...](https://phys.org/news/2022-08-james-webb-space-telescope-unequivocal.html)** > > For the first time, astronomers have found unambiguous evidence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet (a planet outside our solar system). ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/839 "2022-08-25T20:01:30Z")
The exciting thing about this is not the CO2 itself, but the clear demonstration of the ability of the JWST to do this kind of spectroscopic analysis. CO2 is present all over the solar system so its presence on a giant exoplanet isn’t all that remarkable. But tell me, for instance, that oxygen was detected on one of the habitable Trappist-1 planets, and I’ll really get excited! And that may happen, as there’s an international collaboration with approved time on the JWST to study the atmospheres of several of those planets. It’s going to be a lot harder than it was for WASP-39b. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/840 "2022-08-25T20:31:25Z")
Yep. And the first planet they looked at with NIRSpec showed strong water signals. I’m excited to see just how much detail they can get out of the various planetary spectra. As I understand it, they are still working out the processing and expect to get even better information in the future. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624.md?page=41) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624.md?page=43)