The Amazing Discoveries of the Webb Space Telescope - Prof Stephen Wilkins

About

Built by scientists and engineers from around the world, the James Webb Space Telescope (often called Webb) is the most powerful space telescope ever launched. It was sent into space on Christmas Day 2021 and began exploring the Universe soon afterwards.

Since then, Webb has helped us see space in amazing new ways. It can look through huge clouds of gas and dust to watch stars and planets being born, study the atmospheres of distant worlds, and spot galaxies so far away that their light began travelling when the Universe was very young.

Webb has already made exciting discoveries, but it has also found things astronomers did not expect, raising brand new questions about how the Universe began.

In this talk,Professor Stephen Wilkins [https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p192372-stephen-wilkins] will explain how Webb works, show some of its incredible images, and explore what it has taught us so far about space, stars, and galaxies.

Prof Stephen Wilkins [https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p192372-stephen-wilkins] is Professor of Astronomy and Public Understanding of Science and Head of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Sussex. He studied Physics at Durham University before completing his PhD at University of Cambridge, and later held a research fellowship at University of Oxford before joining Sussex in 2013. His research focuses on understanding how galaxies form and evolve, particularly during the earliest stages of cosmic history. To do this, he combines observations from Webb and Hubble Space Telescope with large-scale supercomputer simulations. Alongside his research, Stephen is an active advocate for public engagement in science.

Tickets 4 for adults, kids free. Maximum of 4 free children per paying adult. Bulk discounts apply if booked with other talks.

This talk is part of Lewes Space Day 2026 [https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/lewesspaceday].