INTERACTIVE: This gold-plated, alien-hunting space telescope is about to begin a journey that could reveal some of the universe's most enduring mysteries and take us billions of years back in time.
Here's how it'll work and why it’s so significant →
Because it takes time for light to travel through space, telescopes essentially function as time machines by capturing events that happened billions of years ago.
The Webb telescope will be able to see farther than ever — and farther back in time.
About 13 billion years.
You might be familiar with these images of cosmic gas and dust (thank you, Hubble Telescope).
They are big and awe-inspiring — and they're also blocking our view.
The Webb Telescope will use infrared technology to observe the celestial objects beyond.
And what about aliens? The Webb telescope will be keeping an eye out.
It has instruments sensitive enough to sniff out the atmospheres of exoplanets — including possibly faint biosignatures of extraterrestrial life.
Gunfire erupted near a July Fourth parade in Highland Park, Illinois, wounding several people and drawing a massive police response, authorities say. nbcnews.to/3AtGJQm
At least 5 dead, 16 taken to hospitals after shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/g…
Authorities say at least six people were killed and 24 taken to hospitals after a July Fourth parade shooting in a Chicago suburb. nbcnews.com/news/us-news/g…
There is a mountain of data that privacy advocates are now worried could be used by law enforcement in states that have banned abortion. Here's what digital information prosecutors can (and can't) use in legal abortion cases. nbcnews.to/3nr1Nzg
Prosecutors often rely on a digital footprint from smartphones. States have used search histories as evidence of intent in cases against people who were accused of illegally administering their own abortion. nbcnews.to/3nr1Nzg
So far, residents in all 50 states can order the pill online. And the international origin of most abortion pills offers something of a legal barrier. nbcnews.to/3nr1Nzg
After Friday's Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, lawmakers who support abortion rights argued that some of the justices who voted in the majority opinion misled senators during their confirmation process. nbcnews.to/3xRCoDD
In her 2020 hearing, Justice Barrett was pressed on why she would characterize Brown v. Board of Education, but not Roe V. Wade, as super precedent. nbcnews.to/3xRCoDD
In his 2018 confirmation hearing, Justice Kavanaugh was questioned repeatedly about Roe and Casey.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, pressed him to say it was settled law, but Kavanaugh declined to say so by arguing it would diminish the independence of the judiciary.
A truck hit a person in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday evening, where people were marching after the Supreme Court decision. nbcnews.to/3ygdRcR
Law enforcement officers used tear gas during protests outside the Arizona Senate Building in Phoenix after part of a door was broken, the state Department of Public Safety says. nbcnews.to/3xTO6Oj
If you live in a state set to ban abortions, how far might you have to travel to get one? On average, it's a 4 hour drive. nbcnews.to/3nhtPwY
.@NBCNews analyzed the distance to the nearest open abortion clinic from major cities in 21 states that either have pre-existing or pending state-level abortion bans that will go into effect following the ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. nbcnews.to/3nhtPwY
For someone living in Salt Lake City, it will require driving six hours and traveling roughly 335 miles to the nearest open clinic in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. nbcnews.to/3nhtPwY