NASA is building its most ambitious space telescope yet — the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) — designed to search for signs of life beyond our solar system.
It’s a bold step toward answering one of humanity’s biggest questions: Are we alone???
📽️: youtu.be/V2WXzBm2N0o?...
#HWO #HWO2025 #NASA
I said this recently at #HWO2025, but I'll also say it here in light of the upcoming @nancyromansci.bsky.social call for white papers for the coronagraph: If you don't do planets and disks, please put a white paper in! I'm happy to give advice #astrosci 🔭
A slide showing the challenges of crowded stellar fields, while a white man underneath it talks.
Adam Smercina gives us a nice introduction to resolved stellar population studies in galaxies.
#HWO2025
Building on the legacies of the Hubble, James Webb and Nancy Grace Roman space telescopes, the Habitable Worlds Observatory would search for and characterize habitable planets beyond our solar system. 🔭 🧪 ☄️ #HWO2025 #HWO25
Just using my lunch break to try to get the HWO Tier 1 and 2 stellar data converted and plotted now that it’s available on @hypatiacatalog.bsky.social 😅 #HWO25 #HWO2025
At the #HWO2025 conference this week where meals were supplied by caterers, all of whom were Hispanic and spoke Spanish. Today, as I was walking to the press room, in a dress and wearing my conference badge, a white guy stopped me to ask if I could get him a fork. (1/3)
A cactus taco, a carnitas taco with pork rinds, and a cricket and guacamole taco. All of them are on blue corn tortillas and are delicious
A tres leches dessert with strawberry. Perfect for a hot night
Hey #HWO2025, just a five minute walk from the conference is Oyamel, a fantastic Mexican restaurant. The ceviche and guacamole is yum and I dare you to try a cricket or cactus taco!
Experiencing FOMO big time, not attending #HWO2025) I am glad a lot is youtube broadcasted. I am especially eager to watch these panels sessions on ground/based synergies and on how the #RomanCoronagraph will inform the design choices of the HWO coronagraphs www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vq3...
Three people participating in a panel discussion at a conference, seated at a table with microphones in front of each person.
STScI Director Dr. Jennifer Lotz (left) moderates a panel on observatory synergies at the Habitable Worlds Observatory conference today in Washington, D.C. #HWO2025 #HWO25 🔭 🧪 ☄️
The event for NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory brought together scientists, engineers, and industry officials to propel the development of HWO—a mission expected to usher in a new era of astrophysics discovery and address one of humanity's oldest questions "Are we alone?" #HWO2025 #HWO25 🔭 🧪 ☄️
A man on a stage in front of a slide about integral field spectroscopy.
Brian Fleming is giving us a grand tour of UV instrument possibilities. It is delightful. #HWO2025
It is useful to hear from an instrument designer what is possible/likely. Hopefully people are taking notes.
Remember, we can have gen 2 instruments for harder stuff.
Shout out to every speaker who is emphasising what they need in the Ultraviolet. It feels like we've built a strong case for going well into the FUV for this observatory.
#HWO2025
Two individuals discussing a scientific poster about star formation, displayed at a conference.
STScI's Dr. Travis Fischer (left) discusses his science poster about star formation in a galaxy at a Habitable Worlds Observatory conference in Washington, D.C. #HWO2025 #HWO25 🔭 🧪 ☄️
A picture of an aranet CO2 sensor. The number it shows implies fresh air being brought into the room regularly.
#HWO2025 Just an update for those in the big room.. the air has been pretty reliably good the last two days. It turns out maybe having a school of public health is good?
The Habitable Worlds Observatory is early in its development as a large infrared/optical/ultraviolet space telescope. Many designs are under consideration, including this artist's concept animation. More about the planned observatory: go.nasa.gov/HWO #HWO2025 #HWO25 🔭 🧪 ☄️
#HWO2025
This is absolutely devastating. As we sit here talking about what we need to build the next flagship space telescope, NASA is being devastated by what amounts to forced resignations in many situations. The impact on individuals, projects, and the field is incomprehensible.
A speaker presents at the front of an auditorium filled with attendees at the Habitable Worlds Observatory event. The audience is focused on the presentation, and a large screen behind the speaker displays informational text.
A person presenting a lecture to an audience in a modern auditorium.
As an astronaut who operated on the Hubble Space Telescope multiple times in orbit, Dr. John Grunsfeld has a unique perspective on servicing missions. Today, he spoke about how the Habitable Worlds Observatory could be serviced from an orbit beyond the moon. #HWO2025 #HWO25 🔭 🧪 ☄️
Tracy Becker is giving us an awesome overview of how broad use space-based observatories and NASA planetary missions combine to reveal a huge range of knowledge about our solar system. #HWO2025
This is the nicest press room I've ever been in. It's on the corner of Pennsylvania Ave and 6th St NW in DC. #HWO2025
Presentation titled 'Understanding the Cosmic Build-up of Dust and Molecules with HWO-UV Spectroscopy' by Julia Roman-Duval, who is standing at the podium. An image of a galaxy is displayed on a large screen above the speaker, who is addressing an auditorium full of attendees.
Dr. Julia Roman-Duval delivers a talk on how the Habitable Worlds Observatory's anticipated ultraviolet capabilities will help astronomers understand the cosmic build-up of dust in the universe. Dr. Roman-Duval is the Hubble mission office head at STScI. 🔭 🧪 ☄️ #HWO2025 #HWO25
In ultra-stable telescope systems call (roses25), seven proposals were found "selectable". No money yet/funding path unclear. Crucial for HWO, but for applications throughout industry.
#HWO2025
We restart with Lee Feinberg, our fearless project architect. He's invoking the extremely quick build of the Empire State building with HWO. How do we create an environment for that success? Good planning, knowledgeable people, and the right materials. #HWO2025
Audience seated in an amphitheater-style lecture hall, attending a presentation about space exploration, featuring visuals of a spacecraft on a large screen.
STScI's Jason Tumlinson spoke this morning about seeking our origins in the universe with the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
Scientists from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C., to discuss the search for signs of life on planets orbiting other stars. #HWO2025 🔭 🧪 ☄️
This "fine line" between "we are all one universe" and "America is the only one who can do this" has broken me. I'm grateful coffee is next. #HWO2025
"As a graduate student, I was taught a spectrum is worth a thousand pictures" - Jason Tumlinson (same same)
A push for UV multi object spectrograph on HWO - let's go!
#HWO2025
No one has mentioned the CGM at #HWO2025 yet this morning, you guys. I'm a little sad about it.
The aliens we are trying to find are disappointed in us. 😂
A presentation showing an example of how the Roman Space Telescope coronagraph will help to demonstrate HWO technology. A bright star looks for a planet by using coronagraphy and a reference star that helps get rid of the telescope diffraction
@bmacastro.bsky.social talking now about NASA's new flagship, about to launch, the Nancy Grace Roman telescope (@nancyromansci.bsky.social) which has a coronagraph on it. It's a good observatory to find giant planets and maybe dust in the habitable zone #HWO2025 #exoplanets
Join me on Thursday in the Exo/Astrobio session to hear about how your friendly neighborhood geochemist/petrologist can do experiments to help maximize the chance of observing an #exoplanet that is actually capable of hosting life as we know it over a long period of time #HWO2025
