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An essential companion for anyone wanting to discover the latest images from the James Webb Space Telescope and what these discoveries mean for our universe – and our understanding of human history.
Can the James Webb Space Telescope really see the past? Pioneering space experts Maggie Aderin, PhD, and Sarah Wild take readers on a journey back in time to explore the creation and formation of our solar system, galaxies, and other exoplanetary systems in the universe.
Beginning in our own galaxy, this stunning book uses the James Webb’s cinematic images as route markers towards this cosmic dawn, revealing the mesmerizing pictures’ secrets and explaining the scientific phenomena within them. Along the way, it explores some of cosmology’s greatest mysteries, such as the shape of the universe, the nature of dark matter, and whether there is other life in the cosmos.
Featuring mind-blowingly detailed images from NASA’s telescope, Maggie Aderin, PhD, and Sarah Wild demystify the pictures from deep space and explain the essential science behind each discovery. James Webb’s Ancient Cosmos explores not only the origins of the universe but also the evolution of scientific knowledge and humanity’s future.
"This book is literally heavenly – a wonderful showcase for the glories of the cosmos revealed by the extraordinary James Webb Space Telescope." - Marcus Chown, Author of One Thing You Need to Know
"Maggie Aderin adds a depth of understanding that is rarely found in illustrated books. A collection of wonders." - Brian Clegg, Science Writer
"The ultimate book on all things JWST, perfectly blending astrophysics and engineering. Aderin describes not just the science of what’s going on in these incredible JWST images but crucially how the images were taken." - Dr Becky Smethurst, Astrophysicist, Author, and YouTuber
"Dr Maggie Aderin offers a stunning insight into the incredible galaxies that surround us." - Sandi Toksvig
Dame Maggie Aderin, PhD, is a space scientist, the founder of Science Innovation Ltd., and co-host of the world’s longest-running science television program The Sky at Night (BBC). She has a degree in Physics and a PhD. in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London. After helping to build a spectrograph for Gemini South, one of the biggest telescopes in the world, she continued to work on telescope instruments, including one for JWST. Maggie also won the Institute of Physics gold medal for exceptional services to science education and physics communication and was made a Dame in the 2023 New Year’s Honours list.
Sarah Wild studied physics, electronics, and English literature at Rhodes University, South Africa, and for an MSc in bioethics and health law, before becoming a freelance science journalist. She has also written books, won awards, and run national science desks. Her work has appeared in Nature, Science, Scientific American, and Undark, among others, and she has appeared on the BBC’s World Service and the Inside Science program.
INTRODUCTION
PART 1: THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Light Years to 100,000 Light Years
- Our Solar System
- The Vega Circumstellar Disc
- L1527 and its Protostar
- HH 49/50
- Lynds 483
- Serpens Nebula
- Horsehead Nebula
- Flame Nebula
- Planetary Nebula NGC 1514
- IRAS 23385
- Centre of the Milky Way
- Globular Cluster M92
- Digel Cloud 2S
PART 2: LONG AGO IN A DISTANT GALAXY
100,000 Light Years to 100 Million Light Years
- SN 1987A
- NGC 346
- NGC 604
- M82
- Sombrero Galaxy
- A Swirl of Galaxies
- NGC 1512
- NGC 1433
- NGC 4303
- NGC 1365
- NGC 1566
PART 3: THE DAWN OF TIME
100 Million Light Years to 13+ Billion Light Years
- Galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207: The Cosmic Owl 13
- NGC 5468
- Arp 220
- Arp 142
- Bullet Cluster
- MACS 0416
- Question Mark Galaxy in MACS J0417.5-1154
- Firefly Sparkle Galaxy and Companions in Galaxy Cluster MACS J1423
- Phoenix Cluster
- Sunrise Arc
- GS-NDG-9422
- The JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES)
CONCLUSION
INDEX
CREDITS