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The Aspen Center for Physics nurtures cutting-edge research in physics and related disciplines by providing a unique physical and scientific environment ideally suited for stimulating interactions, collaborations, and innovation. The Center also aims to increase public understanding of and interest in physics through a variety of education and outreach activities at the Center and in the town of Aspen. Every year, over 1,000 scientists from around the world participate in scientific programs at the Center. Learn more at aspenphys.org.

Aspen Center for Physics: Susan Mullally

This event was recorded on March 22, 2023 at Aspen Center for Physics during the 2023 DeWolf Foundation Physics Talks, in partnership with Aspen Public Radio.

NASA’s latest flagship observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched on December 25, 2022, is observing the Universe in the near and mid-infrared at a higher precision and resolution than ever before. Its data has the capability to drive revolutionary discoveries ranging from discovering the furthest galaxies to characterizing planets orbiting nearby stars. In this talk, Mullally gives an overview of the capabilities of the observatory and then demonstrates how scientists are using the telescope to zoom-in on details of the Universe previously hidden from view.

About Susan Mullally

Dr. Mullally is an astronomer who looks for and studies exoplanets and stars using NASA’s space telescopes. A graduate of Hanover College and UNC-Chapel Hill she worked as a scientist on NASA’s Kepler mission to find transiting planets orbiting distant stars. She has spent the past five years at the Space Telescope Science Institute, the science and operation center for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). As a Data Science Mission Scientist she works to lower barriers to access and explore the astronomical data being produced by NASA’s space telescopes.

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Ideas, Speakers & Lectures PhysicsAspen Center for Physics Talks