The JWST was launched from the Guiana Space Centre on Christmas Day 2021, and in only that short period of time, has provided us with new insights into how the Universe has evolved over time, not to mention some really breathtaking photographs.

What's your favourate Webb image?

In 1989, 2001 and 2009, astronomers launched three space telescopes to measure the Cosmic Microwave Background at increasing resolution, just like how cameras today take much better photos than cameras 70 years ago.

credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA

When the Universe flips through its family photo album, its baby photos are images of the Cosmic Microwave Background.

The first observations of the CMB were made by accident by two scientists working at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

When the Hubble Space Telescope was launched, astronomers quickly realised that the main mirror was the wrong shape, making the images blurry. In response, NASA sent up an instrument meant to correct Hubble's 'vision,' like a giant and very complex contact lens.

credit: NASA

Happy Birthday, Hubble!

On 24 April 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit around Earth. After a rocky beginning, the Hubble has given us a clear window into the Universe more than 30 years.

credit: NASA/ESA

On Earth, we are lucky to have the protection of the atmo, but it doesn't allow some wavelengths through, which means we can't fully observe the Universe using ground-based telescopes.

This is part of the reason why space-based telescope missions are so important to astronomy.

Not all telescopes are on the ground... some are in aeroplanes!

SOFIA operated from 2010 to 2022 from a special aeroplane that flew in the stratosphere to observe the Universe in IR light – a part of the EM spectrum that we cannot see very well from the ground.

You may have noticed that there are many different kinds of telescopes: optical, radio, infrared, x-ray, etc...

Looking at the Universe from different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum gives us a unique perspective of astronomical phenomena.

credit; NASA

Happy Earth Day!

At the OAO, we are dedicated to creating engaging and meaningful online experiences to make it easier for people all over the world to interact online and eventually reduce our carbon footprint.

What will you do this year to help preserve our only home?

Interested in helping LIGO detect gravitational wave signals? Help them identify 'glitches' in their data – non-astronomy-related signals that can hide the gravitational wave signal.

Check out Gravity Spy here: zooniverse.org/projects/zooni…

The EM spectrum is not the only thing we can detect with telescopes... the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detects gravitational waves that are formed by extreme events, like the merger of two black holes

credit: ESA–C.Carreau

The Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) is the second-largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. It is located in a natural depression in southwestern China.

For scale, this dish is more than 1.5 Eifel Towers in diametre!

The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) is an intergovernmental project that observes the radio Universe. When completed, it will be a network of thousands of small receivers that, when combined, will be the most sophisticated radio telescope on Earth.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a mobile array of 66 antennae that can be repositioned between 150m and 16km across the Chilean desert.

Click here for a virtual tour of ALMA and the Very Large Telescope, courtesy of ESO: eso.org/public/italy/v…

Believe it or not, big dish telescopes like ALMA are just more sophisticated versions of satellite dishes you might find on your neighbour's roof. You can even make your own radio telescope with a satellite dish and some new electrical wiring.

For many, telescopes represent more than just windows into our Universe. In her PhD thesis, Leandra Swanner discusses relationships and conflicts between Indigenous and astronomy communities in three case studies.

Read this thought-provoking work here: dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/11156…

The Worldwide Telescope is a free tool that combines astronomical datasets to produce stunning visualisations for educational and personal use.

What will you explore first? worldwidetelescope.org/home/

Las Cumbres Observatory operates a worldwide network of telescopes and offers a partnership programme for educational institutions in underresourced areas to provide observing time to engage in their own projects.

Become a Global Sky Partner today! lco.global/education/part…

Galaxy Cruise is a collab between citizen scientists and researchers. In a recent paper published in a professional astronomy journal, scientists used data from Galaxy Cruise to analyse the role of interactions on galaxy evolution.

Read about it here: subarutelescope.org/en/results/202…

Subaru telescope, located on Maunakea and operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, hosts a citizen science project called Galaxy Cruise. Get trained on identifying galaxy interactions and board the Cruise to become a citizen scientist!

galaxycruise.mtk.nao.ac.jp/en/procedure.h…