- Details On Walt Disney World Expansion, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Revamp Unveiled At Destination D23 Event Deadline
- Disney Teases ‘Encanto’ and ‘Indiana Jones’-themed experiences for Animal Kingdom’s big refresh wdwmagic.com
- BREAKING: DINOSAUR Being Reimagined as Indiana Jones Attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom WDW News Today
- ‘Encanto’ & ‘Indiana Jones’ Considered for Animal Kingdom; New ‘Zootopia’ Show Coming The DIS
- Things are about to go into overdrive at Magic Kingdom says Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro wdwmagic.com
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Tag Archives: Destination
Aaron Rodgers trade rumors: Packers QB rules out one 2023 destination; Davante Adams teases reunion on Raiders – CBS Sports
- Aaron Rodgers trade rumors: Packers QB rules out one 2023 destination; Davante Adams teases reunion on Raiders CBS Sports
- Aaron Rodgers ends 49ers speculation at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: ‘I’m not going to San Fran’ Yahoo Sports
- “Why Not There??” – Rich Eisen on the Possibility of Aaron Rodgers on the Raiders The Rich Eisen Show
- Aaron Rodgers crosses one team off list of potential offseason destinations Fox News
- Aaron Rodgers’ path to another Super Bowl Stick with the Packers? Go to the AFC? | First Take ESPN
- View Full Coverage on Google News
On anniversary of NASA’s Webb telescope reaching destination, here are the most striking images so far
Tuesday marks one year since the James Webb Space Telescope reached its destination, orbiting 1 million miles away from Earth.
The Webb telescope, which was launched on Christmas Day in 2021, was a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency with the goal of studying the formation of the universe’s earliest galaxies, how they compare to today’s galaxies, how our solar system developed and if there is life on other planets.
It uses infrared radiation to detect objects in space and can view celestial bodies that are generally invisible to the naked eye.
Since then, the Webb telescope has sent back plenty of images, including of stars, planets and nebula and even galaxies millions of miles away.
Here are some of the most striking images taken over the course of a year:
Engineers and technicians assemble the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Nov. 2, 2016, in Greenbelt, Md.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Distant galaxies
The first full-color image taken by the Webb Telescope was unveiled during a press event on July 11 at the White House hosted by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The image of the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is the “deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date,” according to NASA.
In the first James Webb Space Telescope image to be released July 11, 2022, the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the early universe was taken in less than one day. Similar images from the Hubble Telescope have taken multiple weeks to produce. The background of space is black as thousands of galaxies appear with their shapes and colors varying. These galaxies are part of the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 and are warping the appearances of galaxies seen around them.
Space Telescope Science Institute/NASA
Thousands of galaxies can be seen in the image but, according to NASA, it covers the size of the equivalent of someone holding a grain of sand at an arm’s length distance.
It was also the first time the public understood how much more powerful Webb is than its predecessor, the Hubble Telescope, which only sees visible light, ultraviolet radiation and near-infrared radiation.
Cosmic Cliffs
The image, revealed July 12 during an event held by NASA, showed new details about the Carina Nebula, located in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Just the edge of the nebula can be seen, but the image shows hundreds of stars that were previously masked by a cloud of gas and dust.
Behind the curtain of dust and gas in these Cosmic Cliffs are previously hidden baby stars, uncovered by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in an image released July 12, 2022.
NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI
The area, referred to as the Cosmic Cliffs, shows a “giant, gaseous cavity” as young stars that were recently born push down ultraviolet radiation and create the jagged-looking edge.
The cloud-like structure of the nebula contains ridges, peaks and valleys — an appearance very similar to a mountain range.
Jupiter in detail
On Aug. 22, NASA revealed two new images of Jupiter taken by Webb, which show the planet’s atmosphere, rings and moons in never-before-seen detail.
The first image is a composite showing swirls of different colors, indicating Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere, and the infamous Great Red Spot, which can produce winds of more than 250 miles per hour.
The second image shows Jupiter’s rings, which are a million times fainter than the planet — according to NASA — and two of its moons, Adrastea and Amalthea.
An image of Jupiter, captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, released Aug. 22, 2022, comes from the telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera, which has three specialized infrared filters that showcase details of the planet. In this wide-field view, Webb sees Jupiter with its faint rings, which are a million times fainter than the planet, and two tiny moons called Amalthea and Adrastea. The fuzzy spots in the lower background are likely galaxies “photobombing” this Jovian view.
Space Telescope Science Institute/NASA
Phantom galaxy
First released Aug. 30 by the ESA, Webb captured an image of the Phantom Galaxy, which is located about 32 million light-years away from Earth.
Also known as M74, the Phantom Galaxy has low surface brightness, making it hard to see and requiring clear, dark skies to do so. However, Webb’s sharp lens has captured the clearest image of the galaxy’s features.
“These spiral arms are traced by blue and bursts of pink, which are star-forming regions,” NASA wrote in a social media post. “A speckled cluster of young stars glow blue at the very heart of the galaxy.”
This image from the James Webb Space Telescope, released Aug. 31, 2022, shows the heart of M74, otherwise known as the Phantom Galaxy. The telescope has revealed gray filaments forming a spiral pattern winding outward from the center of the galaxy. These spiral arms of the galaxy are traced by blue and pink and represent regions in which stars are forming. The very heart of the galaxy is colored blue and has speckles, which are young stars that are forming around the nucleus of the galaxy.
Space Telescope Science Institute/NASA
Pillars of creation
NASA released an image of “The Pillars of Creation” — young, bright-red stars within a billowing cloud of gas and dust — on Oct. 19
The Pillars of Creation are elephant trunks, a type of interstellar matter formation, located in the Eagle Nebula, which is about 6,500 to 7,000 light-years away from Earth, according to the space agency.
The “Pillars of Creation” has layers of semi-opaque rusty red gas and dust that start at the bottom left and go toward the top right in this image from the James Webb Space Telescope, released Oct. 19, 2022. The Pillars of Creation, first captured by the Hubble Telescope in 1995, were photographed by the Webb Telescope in near-infrared light, which is invisible to human eyes. Seeing in infrared allows Webb to pierce through the dust and reveal many stars. Webb’s image identifies more precise counts of newborn stars, along with the quantities of gas and dust.
Space Telescope Science Institute/NASA
Fiery hourglass
Released Nov. 16, the Webb Telescope reveals a protostar, which is the early stages of a star being born.
The cloud of gas in red and orange contorts into the shape of a fiery hourglass.
As it draws material in, its core will compress, get hotter and eventually begin nuclear fusion, creating a star.
The James Webb Space Telescope catches a fiery hourglass as a new star forms in an image released, Nov. 16, 2022. Hidden in the neck of this “hourglass” of light are the very beginnings of a new star, known as a protostar. This protostar is a hot, puffy clump of gas that is only a fraction of the mass of the Sun. As it draws material in, its core will compress, get hotter and eventually begin nuclear fusion, creating a star.
Space Telescope Science Institute/NASA
Coldest ice ever measured
The last image released by NASA ahead of the one-year anniversary shows a molecular cloud, which is where stars and planets are born, with icy ingredients.
The telescope shows the frozen form of elements, including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur.
This image by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) features the central region of the Chamaeleon I dark molecular cloud, which resides 630 light years away.
Space Telescope Science Institut/NASA, ESA, CSA, and M. McClure
“We’re not talking ice cubes,” NASA wrote in a social media post on Jan. 23. “This molecular cloud is so cold and dark that various molecules have frozen onto grains of dust inside. Webb’s data proves for the first time that molecules more complex than methanol can form in the icy depths of such clouds before stars are born.”
ABC News’ Max Zahn contributed to this report.
Binance was final destination for millions in funds from Bitzlato
Binance is the world’s largest crypto exchange, handling billions of dollars in trading volumes on a daily basis.
STR | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against a little-known crypto exchange called Bitzlato on Wednesday, alleging that it facilitated the laundering of $700 million in tainted crypto tied to the now-shuttered dark-web market Hydra, and millions more in ransomware proceeds.
Blockchain data shows that tens of millions of dollars that passed through Bitzlato ultimately ended up in Binance deposit wallets, despite the stringent anti-money laundering standards that Binance says it has implemented.
Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world, has not been connected to any criminal activity, nor have regulators accused it of knowingly accepting illicit funds, although the exchange is reportedly under its own criminal probe by the Department of Justice in relation to its compliance with anti-money laundering, or AML, laws.
The movement of Bitzlato’s funds raises questions about the efficacy of Binance’s AML practices, especially given that Binance’s own outside AML vendor, Chainalysis, issued a report in February 2022 estimating that 48% of Bitzlato’s 2019-2021 cryptocurrency receipts were “illicit or risky.”
Bitzlato’s highest crypto balance was valued at a mere $6.6 million, according to Arkham Intelligence. By comparison, Binance’s highest balance was valued at over $60 billion. But total flows in and out of Bitzlato were in the hundreds of millions of dollars, suggesting that Bitzlato was a way station for users looking to keep their crypto at more established exchanges.
On a larger exchange like Binance or Coinbase, for example, many customers opt to let the platform custody their crypto tokens. But smaller exchanges can often function as a sort of bridge between the entity looking to transfer their coins and the ultimate destination where the tokens will be custodied. Crypto might sit on one of these interim platforms for mere minutes.
How the money flowed
A FinCEN report from Wednesday noted that Binance was Bitzlato’s largest counterparty, but blockchain data reveals rudimentary efforts to conceal where funds came from before they arrived in Binance custody.
Much like in traditional finance, where money moves from bank to bank and between holding companies, moving crypto assets through multiple wallets is an elementary way to obscure the flow of money. But tracing assets through a blockchain is a relatively straightforward process, since every transaction is recorded on a publicly accessible ledger.
For all of 2022, and the brief weeks that Bitzlato operated in 2023, only $9.7 million moved directly from Bitzlato to Binance, according to data from Arkham Intelligence. In the four years that Bitzlato operated, only $52 million moved directly from the exchange to Binance, the same dataset shows.
But a cursory review of some of Bitzlato’s largest exchange partners indicates that tens of millions more flowed from Bitzlato through other crypto wallets to Binance, in an apparent effort to conceal the origin of the funds.
CNBC reviewed transaction data for the ten largest recipients of Bitzlato outflows, which collected over $45 million in Bitzlato-originated funds. Those wallets also received millions more in funds from other exchanges, including Huobi, FTX, Poloniex, Nexo, and WhiteBIT, a Ukrainian exchange.
One Bitzlato whale moved a little over $21 million worth of cryptocurrencies, including ether and tether, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, from Bitzlato to an intermediary wallet. From there, over the course of four years, that intermediary wallet deposited around $15 million worth of crypto onto Binance’s platform, according to data from Arkham Intelligence.
Overall, the five largest Bitzlato-connected wallets sent more than $30 million directly to Binance. Millions more in smaller transactions ultimately ended up in Binance’s wallets.
The on-chain data can’t account for any additional funds that moved to Binance from Bitzlato through mixers, services that allow users to obfuscate the origin and endpoint of their crypto. Nor does it offer any information on the kind of enforcement action that Binance might take to defend against nefarious deposits, including seizing those funds once they land in Binance’s wallets.
But Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has often touted his exchange’s aggressive efforts to clamp down on illicit funds flowing on the platform. Earlier this week, Binance announced it had seized millions of dollars worth of crypto connected to a North Korean hacking group called Harmony.
CNBC reached out to Binance to ask that the platform share its approach to preventing tainted funds from landing on the platform. We also asked whether Binance was aware that Bitzlato was allegedly used to launder money and, if so, why funds from Bitzlato were custodied on its platform. We did not immediately hear back to our request for comment.
Still, Reuters reported in December that federal prosecutors were mulling bringing charges in a “long-running” criminal investigation regarding Binance and Zhao’s compliance with AML laws. The pace of enforcement actions suggests that U.S. regulators already have an eye on tracking the flow of illicit crypto, wherever it occurs.
“Operating offshore or moving your servers out of the continental U.S. will not shield you,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco noted on Wednesday. “Whether you break our laws from China or Europe or abuse our financial system from a tropical island—you can expect to answer for your crimes inside a United States courtroom.”
Surprise magma chamber found under Mediterranean Sea volcano near popular tourist destination
A new study has uncovered a previously undetected magma chamber beneath Kolumbo, an active submarine volcano in the Mediterranean Sea near Santorini, Greece.
A group of international researchers used a novel imaging technique for volcanoes that produces high-resolution images of seismic wave properties, according to a Jan. 12 release from the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
The study was published in the AGU journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, and the authors noted that the presence of the chamber “poses a serious hazard as it could produce a highly explosive, tsunamigenic eruption in the near future.”
Researchers are recommending real-time hazard monitoring stations near other active submarine volcanoes to improve estimations of when an eruption might be likely to occur.
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“The current state of the reservoir indicates that an explosive eruption of high societal impact in the future is possible (though not imminent), thus we suggest establishing a permanent observatory involving continuous earthquake monitoring… and seafloor geodesy,” they wrote.
The indicated eruption would be similar to but of a lesser magnitude to the recent Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption, bringing a predicted tsunami and an eruptive column tens of kilometers high.
Maxar satellite imagery shows the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano on Dec. 24, 2021, before the eruption on Jan. 14, 2022, in the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Islands, Tonga.
(Maxar via Getty Images)
The study was reportedly the first to use full-waveform inversion seismic imaging to look for changes in magmatic activity beneath the surface of submarine volcanoes along the Hellenic Arc, where the volcano is located.
Submarine volcanic activity along a section of the Kolumbo crater on the seafloor, observed with SANTORY monitoring equipment.
(SANTORY)
The technology is applied to seismic profiles, or recordings of ground motions along kilometers-long lines, and assesses differences in wave velocities that may indicate subsurface anomalies. The group found that full-waveform inversion technology can be used in volcanic regions to find potential locations, sizes and melt rates of mobile magma bodies.
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The seismic profiles were constructed after the scientists fired air-gun shots from aboard a research vessel cruising over the volcanic region, triggering seismic waves that were recorded by ocean-bottom seismometers located along the arc.
A significantly decreased velocity of seismic waves that travel beneath the seafloor indicated the presence of a mobile magma chamber underneath Kolumbo, according to the study, with the characteristics of the wave anomalies used to better understand the potential hazards the magma chamber may present.
Images helped to identify a large magma chamber that has been growing at an average rate of roughly 4 million cubic meters per year since Kolumbo’s last eruption in 1650 C.E., nearly 400 years ago.
A view of the town of Oia with its lime-washed houses and churches with blue domes on Santorini in the Aegean Sea.
(Marcos del Mazo / LightRocket via Getty Images / File)
The last time Kolumbo erupted, it killed 70 people in Santorini.
The study’s lead author noted that if the current rate of magma chamber growth continues, sometime in the next 150 years the volcano could reach the 2 cubic kilometers of melt volume that was estimated to be ejected during the 1650 C.E. eruption.
Although volcanic melt volumes can be estimated, there is no way to tell for sure when Kolumbo, which lies at around 500 meters deep, will erupt next.
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“We need better data on what’s actually beneath these volcanoes,” Kajetan Chrapkiewicz, a geophysicist at Imperial College London and the lead author of the study, said in a statement. “Continuous monitoring systems would allow us to have a better estimation of when an eruption might occur. With these systems, we would likely know about an eruption a few days before it happens, and people would be able to evacuate and stay safe.”
For the past few years, scientists have worked on establishing SANTORY (Santorini’s seafloor volcanic observatory) that will be able to measure progressions in Kolumbo’s volcanic activity. It is still under development.
China tourist destination set a GDP target, but Covid locked it down
Sanya, on the southern coast of Hainan, was the top destination for couples flying from three of China’s largest cities last week for China’s version of Valentine’s Day, according to booking site Trip.com.
Lucas Schifres | Getty Images News | Getty Images
BEIJING — China’s tourist-heavy province of Hainan is falling further behind lofty growth goals it set in January.
Back then, the island said it aimed for 9% GDP growth this year. But like China’s economy overall, growth is running far below initial targets — due in a large part to outbreaks of a far more transmissible Covid variant.
A surge in Covid infections this month forced Hainan’s oceanside resort city of Sanya to order tens of thousands of tourists to stay put at their hotels, and local residents to stay at home. Haikou, the province’s capital, also issued stay-home orders.
Airlines cancelled flights, leaving tourists stranded on Hainan island since Saturday. In the last few days, some people have been able to return to the mainland on government-organized charter flights.
But questions remain — about uniform implementation of hotel stay subsidies, the cost of food and how soon most tourists can return to their homes.
“The public image and reputation of Hainan is damaged for the short term,” said Jacques Penhirin, a partner in the Greater China office of Oliver Wyman. “When I talk to the client they’re all looking at the bookings for [the upcoming fall holiday] which are still quite resilient. People have not cancelled yet, but it’s not looking good. Probably down on last year.”
It’s “going to be bad for luxury brands and hospitality at least until Chinese New Year next year,” he said, referring to the Lunar New Year holiday in late January 2023.
Hainan’s economy
In late July, China’s top leaders indicated the country might miss the GDP target of around 5.5% set in March. Beijing did not signal any large-scale stimulus, or any change to its “dynamic zero-Covid” policy.
The national economy grew by just 2.5% in the first half of the year, according to official figures. Hainan’s economy underperformed even that sluggish pace, only growing by 1.6% in the first half of 2022.
That’s a sharp slowdown from the island’s 11.2% GDP growth for all of 2021.
In fact, Hainan’s growth last year was second only to that of Hubei province, pointed out Ying Zhang, research analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
“Because of the international travel restriction, Hainan has benefited from the tourism revenue, up by nearly 60% last year,” she said. Zhang estimates tourism accounts for more than 80% of Hainan’s economy.
Sanya, on the southern coast of Hainan, was the top destination for couples flying from three of China’s largest cities last week for China’s version of Valentine’s Day, according to booking site Trip.com.
The island boasts one of the few beachfront locations for international luxury hotels like Mandarin Oriental and Hyatt in mainland China.
Hainan is also building out duty-free shopping malls as part of central government’s push to turn the island into a free trade hub and international shopping area.
Sales at duty-free stores on the island surged by 84% last year to 60.17 billion yuan ($8.93 billion), according to official figures.
During a consumer goods expo in Hainan in late July, sales at four duty-free stores rose by 27% year-on-year to 330 million yuan, the customs agency said.
Another hit to confidence
So far, cosmetics brands rely far more on Hainan for sales than affordable luxury brands — potentially up to a third of their China business, said Oliver Wyman’s Penhirin. He said Hainan generally accounts for less than 5% of China sales for affordable luxury brands, while high-end luxury has yet to enter that market.
An Oliver Wyman survey in May found that after roughly two months of lockdown in the metropolis of Shanghai, respondents from luxury and premium consumer brands cut their China growth expectations for the year by 15 percentage points.
Tens of thousands of tourists were stranded in the resort city of Sanya, Hainan, this week as local Covid outbreaks prompted airlines to cancel flights.
Str | Afp | Getty Images
“The question is definitely when will consumer regain confidence and peace of mind of travel and shopping which is further delayed by this Hainan incident,” Penhirin said, noting he expects this month’s lockdowns will be forgotten in one or two years.
“It’s more about the confidence than the income itself, especially for the luxury goods,” he said.
In the meantime, he said brands should put more effort to track their inventory in China, to make sure products aren’t being sold at levels that might induce a price war.
Pitt WR Jordan Addison considering transfer with USC singled out as potential destination, per reports
Following a standout sophomore season in which he won the Biletnikoff Award and earned consensus All-America honors, star Pittsburgh receiver Jordan Addison is considering transfer with USC singled out as potential destination, according to multiple reports. Though Addison has not yet entered the portal, he is being offered a multi-million dollar name, image and likeness (NIL) deal to leave the Panthers, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
If Addison does enter the portal, he would immediately become one of the most coveted players on the market. However, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Saturday, citing a source close to Addison, that a return to Pittsburgh remains an option for the star receiver. The 6-foot, 175-pound Addison is already generating buzz as a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and could be a lethal weapon for the Trojans — or any other team that lands his service. Addison caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns while helping lead the Panthers to an ACC Championship and 11-3 record in 2021.
The deadline for athletes to enter the transfer portal and remain eligible for the 2022 season is Sunday, May 1.
The departure of Addison would further alter the makeup of a Pittsburgh offense that will look far different next season. With star quarterback Kenny Pickett taken by the Steelers in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple departed for Nebraska, the Panthers figure to be led by a new cast of personnel.
First-year offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti is taking over for Whipple and USC transfer Kedon Slovis appears to be the likely frontrunner to take over the quarterback job for the Panthers, which open the season against West Virginia on Sept. 1.
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Russian Oil Exports to ‘Destination Unknown’ Soar Amid Ukraine War
- Russia has been exporting an increasing amount of oil marked “destination unknown” since invading Ukraine.
- So far in April, more than 11.1 million barrels have been loaded onto cargoes with unknown destinations, compared to nearly zero prior to the war.
- Analysts told the Wall Street Journal this practice is a way of obfuscating the oil’s origin.
More and more Russian oil exports are marked “destination unknown” as the industry looks for ways to continue doing business with Moscow during its war on Ukraine.
So far in April, more than 11.1 million barrels have been loaded onto cargoes with unknown destinations, compared to nearly zero prior to the invasion, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited data from TankerTrackers.com.
Analysts told the Journal this practice signals that Russian oil is being unloaded onto larger ships at sea and mixed with that tanker’s crude, obfuscating the export’s origin.
New grades of oil are on the market now called the “Latvian blend” and the “Turkmenistani blend,” containing significant amounts of Russian oil, traders also told the Journal.
While the European Union is discussing a full embargo on Russian oil, it isn’t directly sanctioned yet. And exports to EU member states rebounded this month after dipping in March.
But some oil companies have been “self-sanctioning” anyway to avoid the reputational risk of appearing to do business with Russia. Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s adviser told the Financial Times that traders handling Moscow’s oil are “helping Russia receive this blood money.”
Meanwhile, Russian exports to Asia and the Mediterranean have increased in April, Bloomberg reported, though Russia has had to send its tankers much farther distances to reach buyers. Price-sensitive buyers from China and India have been snapping up discounted Russian oil.
The US, for its part, just notched its highest weekly export of oil products ever as it helps replace Russian oil supply. For the week ending April 15, US oil and petroleum exports hit a record 10.6 million barrels a day. That same week, Russian oil exports dropped 25% from the prior week.
Virtual Telescope Project captures a view of the James Webb Space Telescope at its final destination
A new image captures NASA’s distant James Webb Space Telescope in a sky full of stars.
The Rome-based Virtual Telescope Project took the exposure over five minutes using its robotic telescope, a PlaneWave 17-inch, tracking Webb on a Paramount ME mount.
The image captured Webb just as it was arriving at its destination at the Earth-sun Lagrange Point 2 (L2), which is about 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) away from our planet, project manager Gianluca Masi said in a statement.
Live updates: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope mission
“Our robotic telescope tracked the apparent motion of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is marked by an arrow in the center,” he added. Masi found the famed space observatory in the bowl of the Big Dipper, and NASA says you may be able to spot it with binoculars if you know where to look.
If you’re looking for a telescope or binoculars to find Webb, check out our guide for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals available now. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you pick the best imaging gear.
Webb is just getting started. NASA and prime contractor Northrop Grumman outlined Monday (Jan. 24) what to expect in the next five months of the telescope’s commissioning period, which includes aspects such as precisely aligning the mirrors, turning on and testing instruments, and taking some engineering images.
“We expect the first science images from JWST to come back in about five months,” Amber Straughn, the deputy project scientist for Webb science communications, said during a webcast Webb event on Monday.
In the longer run, Webb has an ambitious mission to study the early universe, figure out how fast our universe is expanding and accelerating, and look at objects ranging from galaxies to exoplanets.
The $10 billion telescope launched Dec. 25 following years of delays, but the mission has been smooth sailing since it went to space. Another big milestone, which was the complex deployment of Webb’s main mirror, concluded with only minor hitches earlier this month.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Webb Space Telescope Reaches Destination a Million Miles From Earth – Achieves “Halo” Orbit Around L2
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the next of NASA’s Great Observatories; following in the line of the Hubble Space Telescope, the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope. JWST combines qualities of two of its predecessors, observing in infrared light, like Spitzer, with fine resolution, like Hubble. Credit: NASA, SkyWorks Digital, Northrop Grumman, STScI
Today, at 2 p.m. EST, Webb fired its onboard thrusters for nearly five minutes (297 seconds) to complete the final postlaunch course correction to Webb’s trajectory. This mid-course correction burn inserted Webb toward its final orbit around the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2, nearly 1 million miles away from the Earth.
The final mid-course burn added only about 3.6 miles per hour (1.6 meters per second) – a mere walking pace – to Webb’s speed, which was all that was needed to send it to its preferred “halo” orbit around the L2 point.
“Webb, welcome home!” said 
Click on the trajectory diagram for a full-screen version. Credit: Steve Sabia/NASA Goddard
Webb’s orbit will allow it a wide view of the cosmos at any given moment, as well as the opportunity for its telescope optics and scientific instruments to get cold enough to function and perform optimal science. Webb has used as little propellant as possible for course corrections while it travels out to the realm of L2, to leave as much remaining propellant as possible for Webb’s ordinary operations over its lifetime: station-keeping (small adjustments to keep Webb in its desired orbit) and momentum unloading (to counteract the effects of solar radiation pressure on the huge sunshield).
“During the past month, JWST has achieved amazing success and is a tribute to all the folks who spent many years and even decades to ensure mission success,” said Bill Ochs, Webb project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “We are now on the verge of aligning the mirrors, instrument activation and commissioning, and the start of wondrous and astonishing discoveries.”
Now that Webb’s primary mirror segments and secondary mirror have been deployed from their launch positions, engineers will begin the sophisticated three-month process of aligning the telescope’s optics to nearly nanometer precision.