One Year of The James Webb Space Telescope with Neil deGrasse Tyson

What have we learned from JWST? StarTalk celebrates one whole year of JWST by bringing you some of our favorite clips of Neil deGrasse Tyson and scientific guests talking about the space telescope from planning to launch to its first images and beyond!
We go all the way back to JWST first images and Neil’s initial reactions. Talking with NASA scientists Natalie Batalha and Jim Green we learn about the hopes and priorities for the space telescope. Plus, learn about its home in L2 and spectroscopy. We take a look back at the first JWST images of Stephon’s Quintet, The Southern Ring, and Carina Nebula with Nicole Colon. Finally, we get to the groundbreaking discovery of early galaxies and discuss how our model of the early universe and “the dark ages” needs to be reassessed. Looking forward to many more years of breathtaking images and new discoveries with JWST!
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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
#StarTalk #neildegrassetyson
0:00 Neil’s Reaction to the First Images
1:38 From Hubble to James Webb
3:50 What Is JWST Observing?
8:59 Preparing for Launch
12:05 The First Images From JWST
16:33 Photographing the Early Universe
20:21 How JWST Changes Our Notion of Time
21:37 Early Galaxies & The Dark Ages
25:42 The Lifespan of JWST

[@StarTalk]

What's your favorite image you've seen or astronomy fact you've learned from the James Webb Space Telescope?

[@mspiekkola]

❤ Neil got a haircut! 😊

[@WildlifeWarrior-cr1kk]

My house

[@HanSolo__]

Congrats to NASA - sure. Why are there no congrats to the European Space Agency (ESA)?

[@davidwright5443]

Can we all take a moment and appreciate "Star Talk" and their importance in modern awareness of astro- goings on! Thank you Neil and Chuck and the whole team. We need much and many more videos.

[@StarTalk]

Many more are on their way! :)

[@keniag5]

Please!!!

[@chriscolby4578]

Awesome comment

[@emiliaby4109]

Thank you Star Talk!!! You are amazing ❤❤❤

[@arturocaballero1480]

@@StarTalkplease don’t stop keep feeding my brain wisdom my brain craves knowledge nothing more nothing less

[@MasKingFear]

Mind blowing that the longer we take to “look” at something, the further back in time we are observing

[@DagmawiWendwessen]

What if we see sth beyond the "Big Bang"?

[@melowaves2335]

Man, it’s crazy how time flies I can’t believe it’s already been one year since we sent out one of the best telescopes out to explore our bass galaxy

[@mookiestewart3776]

I think it’s the best telescope we have ever sent out isn’t it??

[@danielpotlog6508]

2 years now

[@Joandersonso]

So crazy to imagine JWST as this photographic time machine, actually taking pictures of the past.

[@Nate-.-]

Just a scaled up demonstration of how our own eyes allow us to see into the past, though barely. All because speed of light is finite!

[@dtutssel]

It's not taking photographs. Photographs are taken in visible light.

[@fleezybaby]

every photograph is of the past.

[@Dadas0560]

And the picture of reality which we call the present, that our brains create, is also, always a picture of the past. Though, not very distant past, but the immediate past. Our brain’s time to process information is about 0.1 seconds, plus the finite speed of light. When the object reflecting the light is relatively near, the speed of light is negligible (nanoseconds). The farther the object, the longer it takes light to travel. So, if we're looking at an object which is millions of lightyears away, we see it as it was millions of years ago. BTW, here's another answer why we don't see other civilisations. If there is any right now in one of those distant galaxies, we can only learn this in a few millions of years from now. And by that time we might not be around any more...

[@lorenzoblum868]

Even here on earth, a photo instantly belongs to the past...

[@P2Chill]

I love the amazing JWST pics, the background of my phone and desktop are both 'the pillars of creation'. Just breathtaking. 😍

[@MrGriff305]

It is mind boggling how easily we can lay eyes upon things that are so far beyond our reach it's absurd. We can't even reach the nearest star, yet we can look up and see countless trillions.

[@lorenzoblum868]

What is appalling more than mind boggling is our fascination for exoplanets, outer space... and the way we destroy our own precious ecosystem here on Earth. Schizophrenic.

[@beaconoflight8298]

​@@lorenzoblum868It's heart breaking tbh. Earth is a fragile planet. And we are just altering it too fast. If we keep on continue to consume our natural resources, generating so much waste products that it weighs more than the weight of all living stuff, then I suppose there won't be much of a planet left for us and our future generations.

[@kurtilein3]

@@lorenzoblum868 The same scientists building this stuff also figured out that our planet is in trouble, why it is in trouble, what caused it, why we need to try and fix it, and is working on solutions on how to fix it. Scientists have a strong tendency to know a lot and to dislike cognitive dissonance.

[@danielw1885]

Can we not reach the sun??

[@rachellight1186]

Always love your videos❤ Keep 'em coming😄 Would love to see you and Chuck in the same room together in new videos instead through a moniter. Miss that.

[@smlanka4u]

JWST showed galaxies older than 13.8 Billion years. Therefore, the Big Bang theory is a lie.

[@Smackdade]

Great “Best of” capture of your past discussions of JWST! I can tell my grandchildren I was alive when…. Amazing!!

[@waynegosson1793]

This is one of the best videos from startalk yet. I know the new content has a lot too do with it, but the template changes are fantastic. I like this style of learning! Applause 👏

[@BenjySparky]

Neil and Chuck y'all rock! Love all the pictures of Hubble and JWTS! Can't wait to see what's next. Peace

[@kingdemon26]

A truly amazing discovery, just watched a video on wsf with Professor Brain Green and others discussing the jwst , it’s all so fascinating and exciting

[@eliasphiyega1646]

Wish i could live forever if only to experience the wonders of the universe

[@jigglybotcodm]

Dude this was so exciting I was on the edge of my seat it’s a honor to be apart of this

[@johnsims5330]

I love your enthusiasm. Priceless. While I may appear to be reserved, I too am just as enthusiastic. Holy Mother of Metal, that's a lot of places.

[@waynegosson1793]

That is amazing. Super excited to see what will come at us from all of these studies from the JWST!

[@nickmadden3145]

Thanks Neil for all your stimulating videos… loving them.

[@dagreatcow]

Neil is a hack. I prefer his brother Mike

[@nicko7238]

Oh my gosh!!! Love to see you guys *physically* together again!!!

[@adamJKpunk]

I think it’s from like 3 years ago.

[@lovelywaz]

Here's to MANY more years to come and uncovering new grounds of the universe! 🥂🥂🍻🍻

[@lindalane1166]

I've just recently started watching and just have to say thank you for the awesome content.

[@keniag5]

I feel like crying when I watch these videos. It is breathtaking

[@alexbauman4203]

Thank you for all of your wonderful videos for years. You are one of a kind and have taught me a great deal. Let’s keep up the curiosity of the Universe!

[@dnjj1845]

8:49 "And you will be alive, if you're in highschool today, you will be alive when that first discovery of a living world hits the headlines" Pretty bold statement

[@Alienworld2660]

our universe is so mysterious.. it is so exotic that we are actually looking at the past whenever we look up in the clear sky full of stars..

[@RastafarianSkond]

the background music here is an excellent touch... awe inspiring

[@karan_hiremath]

Love a media outlet that respects its viewers and gives us the deeper underlying theory and exploratory efforts

[@wildfoodietours6702]

The game changer for me is when we first send an instrument to space specifically to look for life. Cannot wait for what the future holds. Here's to space exploration.

[@revmsj]

Great compilation! I love this stuff!

[@AliceKMay]

Webb is the first space mission I've followed since it's launched. It's meaningful and exciting for me. Looking forward to new discoveries our universe.

[@Workstarfish798]

We need more then just one of these. We need to start sending one every year or every few years. Just one is not enough! It is amazing what it’s seeming don’t get me wrong here it’s so amazing, but we need to send more up!

[@ihaveanunorigionalname]

that jwst mirror broach is great! Even if you have no idea about the meaning it still looks good.

[@ray_ray_7112]

One year already??? Wow, how time flies. Waiting for it to be launched seemed to take forever. What am I saying? It did take forever. There is so much out there for it to discover.

[@chadtrombley3078]

I'm so impressed. Long time listener, first time caller. Thanks gents.

[@techn1kal1ty]

It sounds like they cut some of Chuck's jokes or commentary... I get it, but still, Lord Nice is a large part of why I love these...

[@octagon_009]

I hope i live long enough to witness as many discoveries as possible

[@oldcrow6990]

You all just have too much fun! Thank you!

[@justg2310]

thank you for the “previously on” really helps to settle things into place 🥰

[@iahmmei1849]

as a modern day wonderer i facinate over whats been understood so far in the universe and i absolutely admire Neil deGrasse Tyson for making this data enterpetable to my level of comprehension with his passionate and thought filled delivery...he is the scientific tupac...if Neil degrasse Tyson doesnt change the universe i garuntee he will spark the mind that will...super fan

[@egggarnishaustin5559]

Hey Tyson I have a idea for a video There's a thing called Love lines it's basically sound waves but it's not it's sort of like string theory but it talks about how time in space have a relationship together and that the universe is conscious even on the subatomic level Edit: Thanks for the likes

[@lorenzoblum868]

The question is, are humans conscious? Fully aware? What is the link/gap between intellect and instinct... Between infinite small and infinite big... Between the laws of physics as we observe them at different scales... And many more questions. I wonder, what is most relevant, the questions or the answers?

[@kenny.gabriel.2]

Neil you are a gem. I get so emotional listening to him. ❤️ I'll keep looking up! 👀

[@thesoundsmith]

Wow! a whole year. Congratulations to the entire Webb team for a magnificent instrument. 🎇🎆✴🔭

[@imatimetraveler5760]

Can't wait to see how far it's going to go 😊

[@GardnerStevenD]

Does anyone else's stomach drop when they see JWST images? I feel like I'm staring at God and it's really terrifying, but I cant look away because it's equally beautiful.

[@toby9999]

It's awe inspiring and immense but I don't believe in a God so not really.

[@guyinacoffeeshop2239]

Do you not understand how it formed

[@kurtilein3]

Can we take a moment to appreciate that we only built one, had no backup plan, and it actually worked and did not blow up?

[@bensdecoypoondummy1189]

Absolutely mind blowing.. the very laws of the universe make it possible to look back in time to the history of its creation

[@Michael-Vitale]

Happy birthday Chuck!

[@3Augustin3]

Thank you for your wisdom

[@carladelagnomes]

Awh man! If only Dr. Sagan could have been able to see this. That part about the next generation of scopes in the future that will be looking for life on other planets...

[@deenulazarus5454]

Happy birthday JWST

[@paschalumeji8]

I just love Neil. KEEP LOOKING UP 😍👍

[@user-vg2gs8tq9h]

Had an idea Tyson... we never include time when we talk about the BB and the expansion of space... could time explain those few galaxies that shouldn't be there that early as if tike worked at an accelerated rate as it would be playing catch up with the expansion of space could this rapid catching up not be how they formed so quickly ?. As we always talk about time being constant 1 speed so technically it would of had to be faster passing the earlier we go back?

[@P2Chill]

I'm pretty sure it was recently discovered the early universe moved in slow motion, not sped up. 😉 At least I've read articles about it.

[@xthekingsguard1229]

I love Star Talk !

[@ediekimo9110]

Great episode 👍👍

[@maxrupo]

What an overview!

[@TheChtbrown]

Good stuff as always

[@humanitywilltranscend]

2 years from now this gonna blow up 👌🤞🏼

[@sparkyprojects]

At the 'end of life' for jwst, maybe send a robot out there to retrieve it, bring it close enough to earth to service it, then to place it back at L2

[@LKPLLC]

this is amazing

[@andreanderson8639]

Love it!

[@anwaypradhan6591]

A step towards adventure towards truth, a step to solve every complexities of universe.

[@arkadybelsky3150]

Fascinating stuff

[@SULightPeak]

Do we know if they’ll ever do in person episodes again?

[@joseimpact]

yes they will probably just super busy. we were spolied during covid with videos

[@FenderSidekick]

920 million? I think he meant 920 thousand miles 920,000

[@kxqe]

Yes, Neil's guest, Jim Green, at timecode 10:23 misspoke and said that L2 was 920 million miles away. Actually L2 is about 930,000 miles away. His guest Natalie Batalha at timecode 27:11 stated the correct distance; she said it's approximately a million miles away.

[@laurafortier9295]

I love it that there are entire galexies in a grain of sand held at arms length.

[@ronaldwhite1730]

Thank - you . ( 2023 / July / 12 ) . I have never gotten over, never want to get over the import of ( among other things ) the " Hubble Deep Field "s images ; 1970's etc. Soundscaping ( Frippertronics ) by Robert Fripp including : " The Heavenly Music Corporation " and " The Equatorial Stars ", etc . similar to your videos' background sounds.

[@Anjuli72]

Love this

[@coolraul07]

Setting aside the duration portion, I'd like to hear a discussion contrasting the difference in difficulty between a manned Martian mission and a manned JWST refurbishing mission.

[@efkagamescomputers6886]

May I ask a question? Listening to the conversation about finding the first galaxies that have formed in the dark ages. Didn’t our galaxy formed after them. How can we look at the galaxies that should have been long gone by now because they have formed and stars exploded so our galaxy could be born from the 2nd or 3rd generation of stars. Can you explain how we who have come after them see how they are being born?

[@Tmorans]

I find it interesting to watch and listen to all these scientists today and throughout the years. They are all guessing. No matter what one of them says, their piers will ultimately decide they were wrong.

[@mikewendland4982]

I almost always stop the video to see the book titles on guests' shelves!

[@suckondeznutts]

In our quest to answer questions, we get more questions. Phenomenal

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

Worth pointing out why Webb is an advance over Hubble: it’s because Hubble is primarily an optical telescope. But the further away you look (and the further back in time), the more red-shifted all the light is. So for the really old (and far away) objects, what started out as visible light when it left those objects has become infrared by the time it reaches us. So Hubble has trouble seeing those objects. Which is why Webb is designed to be primarily an infrared telescope: its observations will begin where Hubble ends. That causes its own problems, because everything (including the material of the telescope itself) emits infrared. That’s why it has to be kept so cold, and so far away from Earth.

[@michaelccopelandsr7120]

Neil and Chuck for 2024

[@danellelive]

(Super vibes) I loooooove these conversations THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU (I’ll get censored if I say as many thank you’s as I want) 🐾

[@johntumpkin3924]

It's great that there are floating Telescopes in addition to fixed, terrestrial Telescopes. Perhaps James Webb, & any other space Telescope, may also connect to a Terrestrial Telescope for further amplification, in addition to the direct computer analysis. A relay of Telescopes, individuallly & collectively connecting to computer, might ultimately produce clearer deep space pictures in next to no time at all. Already, there are plans to set up space Telescopes on the surface of the Moon.

[@bexerxes1159]

Shout out Morgan Freeman’s “Through the Wormhole” sparked my curiosity. Neil, two questions I’d love to hear explored: (1) as an “earth killer” asteroid nears earth (aside from the panic) how would it affect earth as it gets closer and closer, could it change the tides, change the -9.81m/s, if only for a couple minutes? Second, what if time dilation significantly affects the fermi equation? A system orbiting closer to the center of their galaxies supermassive black-hole might have only experienced 2billion years elapsed to our 13-14?? Unlikely the dilation is so significant, but a difference of nanoseconds over 13billion years would undoubtedly be significant.

[@brandonb1712]

That background music had me on cloud 9

[@jaelhector]

Life and all existence is based on light that how we progress on this journey that my exotic explanation for meaning for life 😅

[@jamesdylan1522]

What is the ''life finder'' telescope plan Nathalie Batalha is talking about at @8:20 ?

[@jack7240]

Keep lookin up people!!!!!!!!!!!

[@BarbaraAViaud-pp7cj]

Will the Webb telescope using calculations to take pictures of the past ( showing how the universe was formed ), allow us to bend time like the refraction of light?

[@satoshinakamoto3342]

NDT talking about James Webb.. YES PLEASE!

[@alexmars1511]

Where can I search these images?

[@lorenzoblum868]

Space is expandable... So is time. Our mindset does not allow us to conceive a state where past, present, and future interact because we have a linear vision...

[@TBlack-qb1nb]

L2 we love u❤

[@Orion_cosmic]

Wow😍😍

[@Kalkinan]

That cheesy Soundtrack whilst talking about Galaxies 'interacting' 😂

[@JMoroccoMisterBoy]

Chuck, all dressed up ..... Neil, the usual attire:: Tks. much.

[@dillcifer]

My eyes cannot bring blue light into focus.. its always blurry! (Why do so many displays on ovens and microwaves have blue?! 😵‍💫) But red I can see pretty well. And green lit displays are somewhere in between 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@arindamsaikia78]

Happy Jamesversary 🎉

[@Avalaraeon]

Spectroscopy , I’m in

[@ketfoen]

What would be wild is us looking at the pictures and seeing Cybertron for the very first time.

[@savagepro9060]

19:20 Can 'Thermal Baffles' technology be used to create shields for surviving in the hot killing deserts, or domestic cooling?

[@PointReflex]

For domestic cooling all you need is layers of wood or isolation one on top of each other with a 10-ish cm separation between each one, all of them located in that sandwitch betwen your roof and the living area. Of course for this to serve a porpuse you need vents across the walls (like with any roof but with more of them). The end result is a bunch of shields that cool themselves thru the vents by the cool/heat exchange that normally happens. For the record I did this with my house, since it's an old type of construction when people used to put the roof way up there, so I installed many "shields" of wood and put many vents across the wall, since then summer isn't a thing anymore nor I need air conditioning even during the day, when previous to this remodelation (wich was very experimental) you couldn't stay inside the house during the summer days because it was above overheated. Plus if you either close your windows or use some layers of UV Shielding on them the temperature will also drop accordingly. Of course, "results may vary" so take this with a grain of sault, it worked for me but I cant garantee it will operate properly in other climate conditions.

[@kenopsiamusic]

the idea of infrared headlights is essentially just heat rays on the front of your car and I am down with it.

[@titostake967]

I am not too familiar with Astrology, but if we can look into the past could we not look in the opposite direction to see the future planets, and what they have developed into? I have been having this question for awhile, but didn't have someone to ask. Can we see more developed planets that are older than our own if we look away from the beginning, or is that even possible?

[@roberth721]

It's Astronomy, not Astrology, and we see into the past because light travels at about 186000 miles per second. So the closest star to us is about 4 lightyears away which means the light from that star took 4 years to get here so we see how it was 4 years ago. In short, we can't look into the future.

[@titostake967]

I appreciate it

[@dark7014]

There were more then 7000 galaxies in that one photo that is just mind boggling

[@frankbarnwell____]

Next? Why not put a larger, more capable observatory assembled in pieces/ multiple launches? Like the International Space Station. With replaceable modules, crew quarters, and replaceable power sources.

[@pudermcgavin4462]

The jwst is amazing

[@savagepro9060]

How does entropy fit into the context with the discussion at hand?

[@toby9999]

This video by veritasium might help... "The most misunderstood concept in physics"

[@jorr1334]

How do you view anything in space in real-time..?

[@yawobi5083]

Looks like a great image for a tie, or socks, or vest.