Legacy Library of Young Stars
ULLYSES
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST)1 launched April 24, 1990 will be succeeded by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or "Webb") by October 31, 2021.2 But before the Hubble ends its mission3 it will create a Legacy Library of Young Stars—ULLYSES.
ULLYSES— the Hubble Space Telescope’s largest observing program, will create a ultraviolet spectroscopic library of young stars.
ULLYSES= UV Legacy Library of Young Stars as Essential Standards
The ULLYSES program will devote approximately 1,000 Hubble Space Telescope orbits to the production of an ultraviolet spectroscopic library of young high- and low-mass stars in the local universe. The final product will include details on some 300 stars.4
How does the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or "Webb")5 scheduled to launch by October 31, 2021 compare to the Hubble Space Telescope? Webb is not a replacement for Hubble; its capabilities are not identical. Webb will primarily look at the Universe in the infrared, while Hubble studies it primarily at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths (though it has some infrared capability). 6
Launched in 1990, Hubble has been observing the universe for over 31 years. It has contributed to some of the most significant discoveries of our cosmos, including the accelerating expansion of the universe, the evolution of galaxies over time, and the first atmospheric studies of planets beyond our solar system. Hubblesite
The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) is an orbiting infrared observatory that will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, with longer wavelength coverage and greatly improved sensitivity. The longer wavelengths enable Webb to look much closer to the beginning of time and to hunt for the unobserved formation of the first galaxies, as well as to look inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today. James Webb Space Telescope.
The Hubble may continue, but there are problems: Williams, Matt. 2021. There’s a Problem With Hubble, and NASA Hasn’t Been Able to fix it yet. Universe Today. (June 25).
Ultraviolet (UV) light from the target stars will be used to produce a library of the spectral fingerprints of young, low-mass stars from eight star-forming regions in the Milky Way, as well as fully mature high-mass stars in several nearby dwarf galaxies including the Magellanic Clouds. ULLYSES: HUBBLE’S ULTRAVIOLET LEGACY LIBRARY OF YOUNG STARS AS ESSENTIAL STANDARDS
Rugheimer, Sarah. 2021. “The Hunt for Habitable Planets Gets a New Tool: A New Documentary Captures the Lead-up to the Long-Awaited Launch of the James Webb Telescope.” Science 372.