The Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center will be hosting an event showcasing some of the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope. They will be livestreamed from NASA’s event Tuesday, July 12, from 9 to 11 a.m.
Coffee and donuts will be available as well.
Following a brief introduction from local NASA/JPL solar system ambassador Mark Brown, the observatory will stream the live-feed presentation from NASA. The observatory is one of only three sites in Iowa hosting the NASA first release of an image from the telescope.
Afterwards, attendees are invited to tour the facility and view the displays, exhibits and telescopes housed at the observatory. There will also be a chance to chat with many of the amateur astronomers of the Cedar Valley Astronomers Club, who are assisting with the event.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest and most complex space science telescope ever built. It will be the premier observatory of the next decade. This international mission, led by NASA in partnership with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, launched Dec. 25, 2021. After unfolding in space into its final form, Webb successfully arrived at its destination nearly one million miles from Earth and began preparing for science operations.
The Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center is located south of Mount Vernon at 1365 Ivanhoe Rd, Ely. To get there, head south on Hwy. 1 until the intersection with Ivanhoe Road (just after crossing the bridge across the Cedar River) and turn right onto Ivanhoe Road.