# 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:** 48
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/941 "2023-03-16T20:40:55Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Worth mentioning that NIRISS is fully operational again, as of the end of January. That’s good news. I think spectroscopy of exoplanet atmospheres is the most likely thing to yield a mind blowing discovery. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/942 "2023-03-22T21:48:18Z")
Ridiculously impressive: > **[James Webb telescope detects dust storm on distant world](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65040983)** > > The new super space telescope makes unprecedented observations of a far-off planet's atmosphere. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2023, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/943 "2023-04-06T17:58:02Z")
New pix of Uranus: > **[Webb adds another ringed world with new image of Uranus - Webb’s infrared...](https://esawebb.org/news/weic2310/?lang)** > > Following in the footsteps of the Neptune image released in 2022, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has taken a stunning image of the Solar System’s other ice giant, the planet Uranus. The new image features dramatic rings as well as bright... > **[Zoomed-in image of Uranus (Annotated)](https://esawebb.org/images/weic2310b/)** > > Zoomed-in image of Uranus (Annotated) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/944 "2023-04-06T18:01:42Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > New pix of Uranus: Let’s just call it Urectum to avoid the obvious jokes. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/945 "2023-04-07T03:52:24Z")
Urectum is what you see through the rings of Uranus ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/946 "2023-04-08T15:30:06Z")
Jokes like this is exactly why astronomers call it YER-anus. HAL-ees (not HAY-lees) comet is the other shibboleth. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/947 "2023-04-08T21:16:30Z")
But that pronunciation starts off with “urine”. An improvement, perhaps, but not much of one (and, I think, the inspiration for the Futurama “Urectum” joke). Personally, I just stick with the Latin pronunciation, which doesn’t involve a Y sound at all, and just starts with the vowel. Something like “Ooranoos”. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2023, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/948 "2023-04-09T03:15:48Z")
But Uranus is a Greek word, not Latin, and the Greek pronunciation is ˈjʊərənəs, _yoor_-ə-nəs, or jʊˈreɪnəs, yoo-_ray_-nəs. ---
**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:** [April 9, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/949 "2023-04-09T03:22:28Z")
My kingdom for the day when a really cool story about Uranus can be mentioned without it instantly being hijacked by anus jokes that were old back in Milton Berle’s day. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/950 "2023-04-09T13:09:14Z")
I see that the headline says “adds another ringed world” while the body notes this was already known (or did I get that confused somehow?). Does anybody else remember that stellar occultation data during the late 1970s demonstrated there must be rings around Uranus? I think I remember hearing it in astronomy classes. Wait, just answered my own question. By 1977 nine distinct rings were known. There’s a good Wikipedia article, “Rings of Uranus”. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2023, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/951 "2023-04-09T14:34:56Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > But Uranus is a Greek word, not Latin, and the Greek pronunciation is ˈjʊərənəs, _yoor_-ə-nəs, or jʊˈreɪnəs, yoo-_ray_-nəs. I was about to “correct” by pointing out the god’s name in Greek was actually “Ouranos,” and the Latin name was “Uranus”. It turns out I was wrong1. His Roman name is Caelus. 1 - Shocking, I know.2 2 - Correcting the correction: “Uranus” turns out to be the Latin spelling of “Ouranos”, so the leading vowel still turns out to be “oo”. ---
**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:** [April 18, 2023, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/952 "2023-04-18T13:31:24Z")
[https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/webb-captures-the-spectacular-galactic-merger-arp-220](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/webb-captures-the-spectacular-galactic-merger-arp-220) two spiral galaxies in the process of merging ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/953 "2023-04-18T14:04:17Z")
> [@kwintenstraler](#): > > two spiral galaxies in the process of merging Yawn. Let me know when they’re finished merging. I’ll come back and have a look then. ---
**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:** [April 18, 2023, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/954 "2023-04-18T14:21:02Z")
Come back around 2000000000 AD, more or less. Mark you calendar! The merger will be mostly done by then. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/955 "2023-04-18T14:24:08Z")
I think I’ll be busy that day. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/956 "2023-04-18T15:56:30Z")
Interesting news story from the Daily Mail (yes, I know, sorry). The JWST discovered some relatively large & massive galaxies that were formed when our universe was less than 1 billion years old, which doesn’t fit with our current models. [The galaxies that shouldn’t EXIST: Experts are baffled as NASA’s $10B James Webb telescope discovers six super-sized star clusters that are too big for their age](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11980503/James-Webb-telescope-keeps-finding-galaxies-shouldnt-exist-scientist-warns.html) > In February, scientists at the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia analysed the data it had collected on six galaxies. > > They estimated the age of the first one they looked at to be about 13.8 billion years old, but the light JWST had detected had taken 13 billion years to reach it. > > This meant that what they were observing was a picture of how it looked when the universe was just 700 million years old - barely 5 per cent of its current age. > > However, this picture also showed it was made up of 100 billion stars - the same amount as the present-day Milky Way, which had 13 billion more years to grow. > > It was a similar story for the five other galaxies, where they contained way more stars than would be predicted for a cluster of their age. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/957 "2023-04-18T18:02:21Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Yawn. Let me know when they’re finished merging. I’ll come back and have a look then. Hold onto your hat, then. The predicted collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies has [already started](https://earthsky.org/space/earths-night-sky-milky-way-andromeda-merge/). ---
**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:** [April 18, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/958 "2023-04-18T19:46:29Z")
That’s too close for comfort for me 😱. Before our stars start ricocheting off each other like billiard balls, I’m packing up and moving to the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, where it’s more relaxed. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/959 "2023-04-18T20:06:39Z")
Too close. I recommend M33 Triangulum which in this [NASA-generated simulation](https://youtu.be/fMNlt2FnHDg), seems to survive intact. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624/960 "2023-04-18T20:12:20Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Hold onto your hat, then. The predicted collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies has [already started](https://earthsky.org/space/earths-night-sky-milky-way-andromeda-merge/). Why do you think I’m wearing this seat belt? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624.md?page=47) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-webb-space-telescope-general-discussion-thread/956624.md?page=49)