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Mars is Bright Tonight With Webb
The mysteries of Earth’s nearest neighbor may soon be revealed by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
“The planet Mars has fascinated scientists for over a century,” NASA says of the incredible photo above. “Today, it is a frigid desert world with a carbon dioxide atmosphere 100 times thinner than Earth’s. But evidence suggests that in the early history of our solar system, Mars had an ocean’s worth of water.”
“NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will study Mars to learn more about the planet’s transition from wet to dry, and what that means about its past and present habitability,” promises NASA.
Since the successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope on December 25, 2021, scientists and STEM students all over the world have watched its progress in rapt fascination. From Webb’s very first transmissions, it was clear the ambitious deep space telescope project would exceed even the wildest expectations.
“Mars will be targeted as part of a Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) project led by Heidi Hammel, a planetary astronomer and executive vice president of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) in Washington, D.C.,” explained NASA of one of Webb’s many promising areas of study. “The GTO program provides dedicated time to the scientists who have worked with NASA to craft the science…