If you wake up early on Saturday, you will see a spectacle of science and engineering, as the James Webb Space Telescope is launched.
The most powerful observatory ever sent into space will be built by NASA, the European Space Agency and Canada's space agency. Astronomers have waited decades as budgetary and technical delays have delayed the completion and launch of the telescope.
On Christmas morning, they and the rest of humanity will be one step closer to seeing the scientific mission begin. Here is what you need to know.
The telescope is going to lift off. There is a European-managed spaceport on the coast of South America. The launch window lasts 32 minutes, until 7:52 a.m., if there are any last-minute rocket checks or brief pauses in the countdown. The launch would be pushed back to that same time on Sunday.
NASA will host a live stream on its website at 6 a.m., and on its main social media accounts at the same time. Agency officials will provide commentary with the astronomer. You can register for a virtual event.
The European Space Agency broadcasts the liftoff in Spanish or French, so you can watch it in whichever language you prefer.
The dark ages are a crucial stretch of early Cosmic history and the telescope was designed to investigate it.
The universe was only 100 million years old when the first stars appeared. It is almost 13 billion years old today. The universe was 400 million years old when the farthest and earliest galaxy was seen. It is not known what happened when the universe took flight 300 million years ago.
Astronomers will be able to study black holes at the center of the universe and planets in our galaxy with the help of the telescope.
The mirror on the Hubble is only 2.4 meters in diameter, compared with the primary mirror of 6.5 meters on the Webb telescope. It has seven times the light gathering capability and can see further into the past.
It has cameras and other instruments that are sensitive to heat radiation. The expansion of the universe causes the light that is normally visible to shift into longer wavelength light that is invisible to human eyes.
Engineers had to invent 10 new technologies to make the telescope more sensitive than the Hubble. The overall cost ballooned to $10 billion due to over-optimistic schedule projections, occasional development accidents and disorganized cost reporting.
The European Space Agency doesn't have an orbital launch site in any of its member countries. It usually launches from a spaceport in French Guiana.
The 300 million euro contribution by the consortium is part of the launch site. NASA and the European Space Agency signed an agreement in 2003 to use Ariane 5 rockets to launch the explorer.
To understand the power of the James Webb Space Telescope and how it will assist the research of strontium strontium, try these two augmented reality experiences in your own space with a phone.
The first will show you where in space and time the telescope will look at the observable universe. It plots some of the early targets, including possibly Earthlike exoplanets and the earliest known galaxies. You can try it on the social media platform.
The second augmented reality experience shows how the Webb will get a visual boost.
If you want to see how a black hole behaves in your surroundings, place a virtual black hole in your space. Astronomers will use this technique to study the early universe. You can try it on the social media platform.
Noah Pisner was involved in reporting.
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A guide to the craft.
The New York Times has an interactive section aboutexploring the solar system.
