“How can you not love the universe and ask more questions about it?”
Scientists around the world, like observational astronomer Dr. Lamiya Mowla, waited decades to see the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
JWST is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever made . Designed and developed by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, JWST is studying parts of our Universe that were once too old, too distant, or too faint to observe.
In July 2022, NASA published five full-colour images that revealed the jaw-dropping capabilities of the telescope and new clues about the evolution of the universe.
Among them was Webb’s First Deep Field image-the deepest image of the universe ever taken. It captured thousands of galaxies in dazzling detail.
The final instalment in our Astronomy in Focus series offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Dunlap Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Mowla and the Canadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey (CANUCS) team dove into JWST images to discover some of the earliest star clusters ever observed.
See how scientists collaborate to make sense of the data, and hear about Dr. Mowla’s experience as a young astronomer at the cutting edge of discovery.
Dr. Mowla is from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Wellesley College. Dr. Mowla was a Dunlap Postdoctoral Fellow from 2020 to 2023, and is an associate of the Dunlap Institute today.
00:00 - 00:44 - Introduction
00:44 - 01:32 - Days Before JWST's First Image
01:32 - 02:29 - JWST's First Images
02:29 - 04:19 - Lamiya's Research
04:19 - 06:00 - CANUCS Meeting
06:00 - 08:00 - Working Group 1's Process
08:00 - 09:00 - Working Group 2's Process
08:00 - 10:00 - Working Group 3's Process
10:00 - 12:00 - Working Group 4's Process
12:00 - 13:40 - Sparkler Cluster Findings
13:50 - 17:50 - Importance of Teamwork and Roles
18:00 - 19:00 - Lamiya's Journey
About the Dunlap Institute:
The Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Toronto is an endowed research institute with over 80 faculty, postdocs, students, and staff, dedicated to innovative technology, groundbreaking research, world-class training, and public engagement. The research themes of its faculty and Dunlap Fellows span the Universe and include: optical, infrared and radio instrumentation, Dark Energy, large-scale structure, the Cosmic Microwave Background, the interstellar medium, galaxy evolution, cosmic magnetism and time-domain science. The Dunlap Institute, the David A. Dunlap of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and other researchers across the University of Toronto's three campuses together comprise the leading concentration of astronomers in Canada, at the leading research university in the country. The Dunlap Institute is committed to making its science, training, and public outreach activities productive and enjoyable for everyone of all backgrounds and identities.
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Produced and Filmed by:
Jonathan Qu and Kevin Li