Issue #22: The James Webb Telescope & Life
Attention, My Fellow Dots.
Dear Reader,
I am still fascinated by the first images released by the James Webb Telescope. A fascination that led me down a rabbit hole as I tried to link humans and stars to a fiction work in progress of mine (coming soon). I purchased books on astronomy, I watched videos on the formation of stars.
As I constantly reflect on life, I do wonder about the universe and what could be out there. Especially stars, they look like dots from our viewpoint, but their diameters are multifarious – some smaller than earth, and others millions of times bigger than earth.
The Mirror
Let’s leave other planets alone. Okay?
My fascination with life outside Earth I promise is healthy, not through the lens of billionaires aspiring to colonise other planets.
The James Webb Telescope orbits the sun 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth, armed with a primary objective to study the origins of the universe, of life itself. It was built to function like a time machine, to unravel over 13.5 billion years of history.
13.5 billion years.
As of 2025, the global average life expectancy is approximately 73.5 years.
In the grand scheme of life, we’re less than dots. Less than dots. I don’t mean that human beings are inconsequential (we kind of are) but belittling us isn’t my intention.
Gauging from recent news, the world’s richest and most influential have given up on Earth, fellow dots like us have lost hope in building a safer, prosperous Earth, eager to claim a universe that is grander and more expansive beyond our beliefs or understanding.
Nothing against space exploration, I wouldn’t say no to a free seat to see the marvels of the universe, only temporarily though. I have no dreams of living outside Earth – I hope we never get to the point where it becomes the only alternative.
Daily, we’re regressing, injustice is rising, genocides are being televised, inequality has exploded, but instead of salvaging what we have considering our short life expectancy, we have become enamoured with dreams of transporting our issues to other planets.
Earth isn’t the problem. We, fellow dots, are.
Abandoning Earth will not transform us into environmental protectionists, or equality advocates. The same behaviours that have rattled our safety on Earth will certainly accompany us outside too.
Mild rant done.
Have a look at two of the first images captured by the James Webb Telescope:
The Birth of a Star
The Death of a Star
As a proud geek, I wanted to contrast the life and death of a star, to that of humans (my fellow dots):
The Echo
“The Earth is the only world known so far to harbour life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand,” Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994.
The Grounding
Go outside, take pictures of the sky and reflect on what you can see or can’t.
The Lens
A hazy dot from here, a world from there.
The Shelf
Poem: Stars by Sara Teasdale
Alone in the night
On a dark hill
With pines around me
Spicy and still,
And a heaven full of stars
Over my head
White and topaz
And misty red;
Myriads with beating
Hearts of fire
The aeons
Cannot vex or tire;
Up the dome of heaven
Like a great hill
I watch them marching
Stately and still.
And I know that I
Am honored to be
Witness
Of so much majesty.
Before You Go
Go to https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/ and learn about the James Webb Space Telescope and spend time with its beautiful images.
Re-read the poem, Stars by Sara Teasdale and remember that beauty doesn’t need ownership.
Until next week,
Spring4th.