Erin M. May, PhDApr 26, 2022

Do people like threads here? I guess we'll find out!

Between meetings today I thought I'd talk about #NASA #JWST and all the exciting #science we can expect from it starting in a few months!

(Yes, I made this travel mug ❤️)

#SciComm #Exoplanets #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Telescope #MastodonNewbie

Show threadErin M. May, PhDApr 26, 2022

A quick note: if you ask me what #JWST stands for I'll tell you it's the Just Wonderful Space Telescope

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-needs-to-rename-the-james-webb-space-telescope/

The James Webb Space Telescope Needs to Be Renamed

The successor to the Hubble currently honors a man who acquiesced to homophobic government policies during the 1950s and 1960s

Scientific American
Show threadErin M. May, PhDApr 26, 2022

Fun Fact #1: #JWST is the LARGEST space telescope ever built! It's so big that the mirrors were folded up to fit in the #ESA #Ariane5 #Rocket that launched it last Christmas

(Yes, this diagram of me standing next to the Hubble and JWST mirrors is to scale!)

Show threadJim JonesApr 27, 2022
@_astronoMay that's a great diagram. I didn't realize the mirrors were that big. How many times were the panels folded to fit in their rocket?
Show threadErin M. May, PhDApr 27, 2022
@GreatBigTable The side 3 mirrors on both sides folded back. Here's a diagram of what it looked like folded up inside the rocket!
Show threadJim Jones
@_astronoMay Cool. Thanks for answering my question... and with a picture no less.
Apr 27, 2022 at 3:13pmWeb