How Far Can You See?

I recently came across the Webb Space Telescope on which NASA is currently working.  When it's launched in 2018, it will have 100x the power of the Hubble telescope, the telescope responsible for images like the one at right.  It's amazing how inspiring the photos from Hubble were and are and I can't imagine what we'll be able to see with the Webb Space Telescope.  NASA is hoping to see the end of the universe, looking back through time to when the universe began.  Heavy stuff.

The new telescope will be positioned about 1,000,000 miles from Earth, a little more than four times the distance to the moon.  Being that far away, it will have capabilities that the Hubble doesn't.  There shouldn't be any period of time when the Webb telescope wouldn't be able to capture images.  With that advantage, it should be able to get better images than the Hubble.  What I'm hoping for is a closeup of an Earth-like planet in another solar system.  NASA has already found thousands of other planets, but I think it will be different if people could see those planets clearly and up close.  Images like the one above make me wonder just what's out there.  That's why I choose to write science fiction novels.  I choose a star out of that crowded picture and imagine intelligent life searching the stars as we do.

My upcoming science fiction series asks a lot of these same questions, and answers the question, "Are we alone in the universe?" with a resounding "NO!"  It's action-packed and sure to please fans of Space Operas, Space Westerns, and fans of movies like Blade Runner and Alien.  Keep a lookout this December for the first of many in this new series.

(Also, from now until November 23, 2014, enjoy my latest science fiction novel Symbiote for Free on Kindle!)