Webb's Universe
The definitive book on the James Webb Space Telescope, including its most stunning images to date, written by space expert Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
Despite the huge advances in space technology in recent decades, much of the universe still remains a source of mystery, often provoking more questions than answers. Keen to follow on from the findings of the Hubble telescope, NASA successfully launched the James Webb Space Telescope in December 2021 to study every phase of the history of our universe.
The first stunningly clear images of the very depths of the universe using Webb’s groundbreaking infrared technology were released in July 2022, forever changing the way we see and understand the origins of our existence. From the never-before-seen bright stars surrounding the cosmic cliffs of the Carina Nebula and the intricate details of dying stars to the first detection of a crucial carbon molecule which forms the foundations of life as we know it, Webb continues to amaze and inform us in equal measure.
Bringing her passion as well as her expert knowledge of space and Webb in particular, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock demystifies these stunning pictures and breaks down the essential science behind each image, explaining what we’re seeing and learning from the world’s most powerful space telescope.
Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock PhD is a space scientist whose passion is presenting science to a general audience and demonstrating that you ‘don’t need a brain the size of a small planet’ to understand, participate in and enjoy science.
She studied at Imperial College London, where she obtained her degree in Physics and her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. She has spent her career making novel, bespoke instrumentation in both the industrial and academic environments, including working on the James Webb Space Telescope and various satellite monitoring climate change. As well as public speaking she is a Bafta-nominated TV presenter, co-hosting the world’s longest-running science television program The Sky at Night. She was made a Dame in the 2023 New Year’s Honours list.