From the City to the Stars
On a long list, Neil deGrasse Tyson stands out as one of our all-time favorite New Yorkers. During Friday night's From the City to the Stars program, part of the World Science Festival, he gave an impromptu talk that ranged from why astronomy is the best branch of science (straightforward, meaningful names like "black holes" and "supernovas," in contrast to chemistry's practically unpronounceable deoxyribonucleic) to what makes New York the greatest city in the world (we have more telescopes than anywhere else, but can rarely see the night sky . . . ). Had he been around when we were kids, we might not have grown up to have so many degrees in English.
But the big draw was a full-scale replica of the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2014 and destined to tell us currently inconceivable tales of how our universe formed. A panel discussion explained the philosophy and technology behind the equipment. As Nobel Prize–winner Dr. John Mather pointed out, everything that exists on earth is descended from the particles that were created 13.7 billion years ago, during the Big Bang. The stars are us, and we are the stars.
But the big draw was a full-scale replica of the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2014 and destined to tell us currently inconceivable tales of how our universe formed. A panel discussion explained the philosophy and technology behind the equipment. As Nobel Prize–winner Dr. John Mather pointed out, everything that exists on earth is descended from the particles that were created 13.7 billion years ago, during the Big Bang. The stars are us, and we are the stars.
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